Rebirth
by Tanoshiix3
Summary: Covenant/Rebirth: Rebirth. Link doesn't remember being a hero; Zelda can't remember being a princess. When they lose their homeland to a growing empire threatening to darken the world, will they gain the sense to rise and rebel? Continuation of Covenant/Rebirth: Covenant. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Prequel: _Covenant_**

**Paste this:**

_/__s/5059855/1/Covenant_**  
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**after the "net" part in fanfiction-dot-net to see the prequel**

* * *

**Chapter One**

When Katrina woke up it felt like her entire head was swollen. Just blinking her eyes caused a throbbing sensation to run through her skull and she nearly swooned.

Even still she forced herself up into a sitting position, finding that she was lying down on a soft, white mattress. The dark world spun wildly as she sat up but she ignored it, gritting her teeth as she struggled to figure out where she was.

The vast room almost looked like the interior of an old dungeon, with its dark, stone walls and dim surroundings. Spheres of cerulean light hovered close to the ceiling, granting a bit of light to the area, and off to her left was a tall, open doorway that led to a stone door.

Even as she looked at it the circular carving on the door's surface let off a bluish glow and the entire door slid up to hide itself in the upper parts of its frame. Someone stepped through the opening and the door closed behind them with an echoing _thud_.

Katrina couldn't help but stare at the being that had entered, and feeling her gaze it turned its misshapen eyes towards her. Spotting her half-opened eyes, a little smile spread across its ovular, blue face.

"You are awake." The thing walked towards her, ridiculously tall and lanky and garbed in a black robe that swished across the tiled floor as it moved. Like the door behind it, a series of glowing blue markings covered its clothing and even wrapped around the skin-tight, ebony hood over its head.

"Wh-who…what…" Katrina's voice broke off with a groan when her vision nearly tunneled into darkness. She sagged against the bed as the creature shushed her gently, an alien-like kindness shining in its orange eyes.

"It is all right. You are safe now."

Katrina strained to maintain consciousness. "Wh…where…"

"You are in the Twilight Realm," the being answered, completely understanding her broken phrases. "Do not be afraid. It is safe." When Katrina moaned with the attempt of speaking once more, it quieted her again and placed a long-fingered hand on its chest. "I am Elfin. I am here to help you. Now, please, you have overexerted your energy. You must rest more."

"Wh…but…" Katrina thought her head would soon tear apart. Her eyes tightened against the pain. "I…you…"

"Shh, please." Elfin patted her hand. "You must rest. After everything that happened…"

Katrina didn't hear the rest of Elfin's sentence, only able to cling to those last few words: _everything that happened._

In a rush she recalled the events that had occurred at the Gerudo Mesa: the sight of Kelvis; of Mekial and Dijonay in front of the Proclaimer; of Link and Princess Zelda dying right in front of her; of trying to fight Malbex; of Morbex's turning against them –

She quivered with rage and lunged out of the bed, startling Elfin mid-sentence. She'd _kill _Malbex and Morbex with him. How _dare _he betray them –!

She screamed out in agony and fell back against the bed, panting as she suddenly registered that every part of her, every muscle and bone ached beyond cure. Her head willed to shatter and her back seemed to pulse with every throb that ran through it. She gasped and tried to writhe out of the maddening soreness, only to release a cry of renewed anguish.

She barely noticed Elfin turn and call for someone, his form knocked askew by her shaky vision. All she saw were the blurry, black and blue figures that rushed around her bed to help her before everything went black.

* * *

By the time Brent had opened his eyes, the screams that had driven him from slumber were over. He clenched his eyes shut again, gritting his teeth against his headache before he finally managed to sit up.

He wondered who had been screaming. Was it Renée?

He drew his legs up and grunted when he realized how cramped they were. How long had he been lying down?

In fact, when had he even gotten the chance to lie down? Was he dead?

He looked around the dark room, with its perfectly shaped walls and smooth, stone floor. This didn't look like any kind of haven for souls at rest. So where was he?

Before Brent even got the chance to properly examine the rest of the chamber, a tall figure bustled by the foot of his bed. He stared, caught off guard and watching as the being rushed by, then stopped and did a double-take at Brent.

"You are awake!" it exclaimed and Brent couldn't find his voice to reply. The creature ignored this and turned its head back to call out to someone. "Florin! Izbae! Another one of the humans are awake!" It then turned its attention back to him. "Are you hurt, friend? How are you feeling?"

"Um…" Brent blinked as the tall alien came closer. "I…" He shook himself out of his daze. "What…"

Before he could finish his sentence two more aliens rushed around the curtain that bordered the other side of the bed, one pudgy and stout and the other about a head taller than Brent was. Like the first strange creature that had approached these two were garbed in a black robe that glowed with blue, almost tribal markings.

The shorter one came towards Brent, extending a bottle of violet liquid. The Hylian only continued to stare at the being that offered the strange concoction.

"It will help you to regain your strength," the first being stated, briefly attracting Brent's attention. He glanced back at the liquid and then shook his head.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"My name is Elfin," the first creature informed him. "And you are in the Twilight Realm. Please do not be afraid. It is safe here."

Brent wondered if he had heard the thing correctly. He couldn't really be in the Twilight Realm, could he?

He glanced about the entire room again, from the fluorescent lights above down to the creatures before him. If this was really the Twilight Realm, then that made these things…what had Link called them? Twili?

"How did I get here?" was his next inquiry.

"I believe that our princess can better answer that question than I could," Elfin replied. "I only know that you and some other humans were brought to me around a couple of days ago. You were each unconscious."

At this statement Brent paused. Why had they all been unconscious? What was it that had happened again? His head pulsed with the return of his headache as he dug through his memories and he closed his eyes, fighting back the sudden throb until he finally found the answer.

They had been in the Gerudo Mesa. They had gone to see the Sages. Then they had been ambushed, and Morbex had attacked them… Brent's recollections broke off at that.

Morbex had turned against them.

He had given up on fighting Malbex.

_But why?_

Brent looked up as something else occurred to him. "Who screamed?"

"Ah, that." Something changed in Elfin's amber eyes. "One of the humans who arrived with you tried to get out of bed too soon, I am afraid. But she is fine now," he added at the worried look that had passed over Brent's face. "She is being tended to even as we speak. She should recover soon."

"Which…human?" Brent asked, ignoring how weird the question felt.

"Forgive me, but I did not ask for her name."

"Well, can you take me to her?"

"…All right." Elfin turned his gaze away to look at the stout Twili that had first offered Brent the potion and nodded his head. In turn, the little Twili held the bottle out to Brent once more. "Then once you are feeling well, I will take you to her."

"No." Brent pushed the potion away with a twist of his stomach. "Take me now."

Elfin regarded him for a few seconds, sizing him up and attempting to figure out if Brent would be capable of walking. After finally deeming that he was the Twili gave a consenting tip of his chin and stepped away from the bedside.

As soon as Brent stood his knees nearly crumbled with the weight they suddenly had to support. Forcing them to submit the Hylian fell into step behind the Twili, his face grim as he was led down the hall.

Now out of bed and no longer hedged by navy curtains, Brent finally realized how large the room actually was. The ceiling was so high that someone would need a pair of wings to reach it, and the walls extended so far that it made the place look more like a corridor than a chamber. Rows of beds like the one he had been in lined the wall on his right, each of them bordered by navy curtains and most of them empty, save a few that had more Twili creatures laying down in them.

Brent glanced in at each of the beds, searching for familiar faces and his heart nearly stopped when he spotted Mekial in one of them. The next couple were empty and then Dijonay's face appeared, followed by Renée's – he hesitated, expecting Elfin to lead him to her, only to force himself forward when he saw that the Twili meant to go to the next bed at the room's very end.

Brent started when he saw yet two more Twili hovering around Katrina's bed. One was holding his hands over her face and from his palms a pale, almost transparent light was descending to ripple across the girl's blanch features. The other was standing at a floating table, mixing together the contents of another violet potion.

While they worked the Corvenian quietly huffed in her sleep, her skin glowing with a thin layer of sweat and some of her splayed hair sticking to her forehead. With the entire setup, it looked like she had fallen gravely ill.

As he stared at her Brent recalled the way she had been thrown around in the Mirror Chamber. Was the pain of that incident the reason behind her agonizing scream?

Although Brent was glad that it had not been Renée who had been in pain, a cloud of concern still drifted over him. Would Katrina really be all right?

His eyes shifted towards the Twili that had been mixing the medicine together and he watched as the creature held Katrina's head up and ladled the medicine into her mouth.

She choked on it, staining the white bed sheets with violet polka dots before she gulped the potion down.

Brent looked away. "Was there anyone else with us?" he asked Elfin. "Two more Hylians?"

"…Yes." Elfin's answer was contrite and Brent nearly bit back his next question. But he had to know. He had to.

"How are they?"

Elfin sighed and averted his eyes, having hoped that Brent would not ask such a thing. He had only caught a glimpse of the other two humans before they had been brought to an entirely different section of the palace. Whether that section had been another wing of the infirmary that he was not assigned to, or somewhere else, he was unsure.

"They…did not look very well," he said finally and the way Brent's shoulders slumped made him even sorrier. "And I do not know where they have been taken." He cast Brent a remorseful look. "I am sorry."

Brent opened his mouth but no words came out, his mind reliving the sight of Link and Princess Zelda collapsing on the stone stage of the Mirror Chamber, and of Dijonay's helpless pleas. He turned away from the Twili, stunned.

He tried not to jump to conclusions, but with the vivid memory of the Gerudo Mesa playing and replaying in his head, how could he not?

Link and the princess were dead. They had to be.

There was nothing to say about it.

Dazed, he wandered out of the infirmary through the open doorway a few paces away from Katrina's bed, where he found himself out on the balcony of the infirmary.

And if anything could briefly distract him from the loss of Link and Princess Zelda's lives, the view from this terrace did.

Never before had he seen anything like the Twilight Realm. Instead of a platform that overlooked a city street or a field this one observed a muggy, twilit sky shrouded with black clouds. In the distance he could spot the shadows of what looked like floating isles and when he peered over the railing he found that the building he was in was also hovering in midair. Despite his love of riding Hover Boards and the thrill he had experienced while riding the argorok, there was something about this that disturbed him.

What kind of place was this? It looked so grim and hopeless and barely offered him any comfort for what he had just experienced. He wondered how anyone could live in such a dark place and maintain their sanity. When he recalled how the Twili had wound up in here, he could instantly understand the Fenri's desire to avoid such banishment at all cost.

As Brent stared out into the billowing clouds he again found himself wondering how he had wound up here. There was no hint or clue that suggested this world was even close to the one he remembered. Was it really another dimension?

He wished he could ask someone, like Link. During his time outside of Arkania, Brent had learned so much from him – it was difficult to believe that he was really gone.

Brent propped his elbows on the railing and with his head bowed, raked a hand through his hair. How could everything have gone so wrong so suddenly?

Perhaps they had simply underestimated how Malbex was able to stay on top of things, including their movements. Thinking back on it, Brent realized that the prince had probably been keeping close tabs on them, most likely with his Seeker. Just knowing that made him angry with himself, angry for not thinking ahead like he had done since joining up with the Hylian Rights Groups. But there was no reason to wallow in regret now.

It was too late for that.

Brent leaned back, his hands gripping the railing as he watched the ominous horizon for another moment, then he marched back inside. As he strode by Katrina's bed he glanced over at her, and was a bit surprised to find that she was awake.

Her eyes were narrowed as though to fight away the remnants of pain she still felt and she barely noticed Brent draw nearer.

He hesitated at the preoccupied glower on her face and cleared his throat. "You're up." She didn't respond. "Feeling any better?"

"I'll feel better when I cleave Malbex in half."

It was at that moment Brent spotted the unending rage that hung in her tired eyes, and he recalled the way she had tried to rush Malbex back in the desert. Looking back on it, he wished he had tried to stop her, rather than join her. He rarely did something so brash, always conquering his emotions with strategy and planning.

But Katrina didn't have such characteristics: even looking at her now he could see that she was breaking, overloaded with the weight of pain and sorrow that had been forced upon her after the Isle Massacre. In his travels with her thus far, Brent had never truly realized how much her burden affected her until now.

"Do you know where we are?" Her eyes finally moved to him, meeting his.

"Twilight Realm," he answered shortly. "But no one's told me how we got here."

Katrina grunted and looked away. Just as Brent turned to leave, she spoke up again. "You hate him, too."

Brent paused by the curtain, knowing of whom she was speaking and he could almost feel her anger closing in on him. He fought it off before it could swallow him whole. "…Yeah."

"Then why didn't you help me kill him?" The question itself sounded strange to him and his copper eyes met hers once more. She looked accusing. "He was right there. You could've… I could've killed him, right there…" She bit back a curse as her headache from earlier returned, bringing with it the severe ache in her spine.

"I hate him just as much as you do," Brent said, fully facing her. "He's taken a lot from the world, and so it'd probably be better if he wasn't around. But after he knocked me back I realized I couldn't beat him like that. I would've wound up dead. You almost got yourself killed, too."

Katrina growled in the back of her throat. "Then I would've died killing him –!"

"No, you would've just died."

She stared at him, surprised, but then her fury remounted.

"I promised the other Corvenians back in Taranis that I'd find the ones who destroyed their home," he told her. "But even then, I…" He paused, then let out his breath in a sigh. "Even then I don't think I could kill him."

Katrina's face instantly darkened and Brent knew what she was thinking. He was a coward. Spineless.

But was it wrong that he would rather avoid bloodshed? Was it so terrible that in spite of Malbex's misdeeds he doubted he could take his life?

Katrina kept scowling at him reproachfully and Brent held her stare a moment longer before he turned to go. But before he could even step away one of the Twili walked out in front of him, blocking his path.

"The rest of your friends have awoken; Princess Midna wants to see you all."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Dijonay fidgeted with the hem of her dress, her head down and eyes red and swollen from crying. She had woken up with blurry vision, as if she had cried in her sleep as well, and the tears didn't stop even when she registered the fact that she was alive.

Because Link and Princess Zelda were not.

She could still remember the chill of their skin, with its hauntingly white pallor as if they had been dragged right out of the grave, and she had relived the nightmare so many times that she could still see it now, playing in her smoky vision as she followed the Twili servant through the dark palace corridors and to the audience chamber.

At random moments throughout the palace she suddenly felt detached from everything, as if nothing she had witnessed had really happened. Even the recollection of arriving in the Twilight Realm didn't seem real. But when she had awoken in the infirmary, there was no doubt in her mind that it had all really occurred.

Her throat tightened and the floor blurred with another wave of tears that surged down her cheeks. A sob shook through her and she sniffed, attempting to cleanse herself of sorrow before she stood in the presence of the Twili ruler. But the tears wouldn't stop.

Her mind wandered back to the Gerudo Mesa again, this time remembering Morbex's true face, and the way his own eyes seemed to be clouded in misery. But even still he had attacked them, tried to kill all of them.

Why would he do something like that? He was their friend, wasn't he? Or had he really been on Malbex's side the entire time, like Katrina had assumed when they first met him?

Just that idea alone made Dijonay snivel. Morbex wouldn't betray them. He couldn't have.

_But he did._

She tried to remember the deep, genuine regret in his eyes, his real and gentle face, his kind aura. But the sight was distorted by another waterfall of tears.

When the Twili servant stopped she halted, wiping her eyes to no avail. The creature didn't seem to notice, even though he was her exact height.

"Princess Midna resides beyond this door," he informed the group, gesturing to the tall, stone door before them. The circular markings and lines engraved upon its rocky surface bore great resemblance to the symbols etched onto the infirmary's doors. "She has requested you personally, and risked her life to save you all. I hope you return her grace with as much respect as humans are capable."

His words almost sounded insulting but with his long, blue face practically emotionless and his red eyes unreadable, it was difficult to tell if he meant to offend them. Either way he refaced the audience hall's entrance and as if of its own accord the symbols on the door took on a blue, ethereal glow before the door slid up and out of their way.

The servant guided them inside the dim chamber, up the wide stone steps and into the presence of the ruler of the Twilight Realm. All around her throne a cool blue light glowed, as if it radiated from the seat itself and it spread to illuminate the entire area.

Dijonay and Mekial bowed first, lowering themselves to one knee respectively, and the others followed suit.

"Bowing isn't necessary." The princess's voice sounded vaguely familiar to Dijonay. "Rise."

Dijonay stood, blinking away the last of her tears and started when she rested her eyes on Princess Midna, the very same woman that she had seen when she had first arrived in this dark world. She threw a quick, evanescent glance at the servant that had escorted them inside. _This _was the woman that had saved them?

She was the _princess_?

Immediately, Dijonay felt embarrassed for having fainted in front of her.

"Any friend of Link and Zelda's is a friend of mine," Midna went on, her red eyes twinkling. "You're guests here. No need to feel so uptight."

The Twili that had guided the humans inside started. "But, Your Highness –!"

"Hush, Baromet." She held up a slender blue hand and studied the humans closely. "I suppose you all wonder how you got here, and where this is. Let me start off by humbly and formally welcoming you to the Twilight Realm, home of the Twili." She paused, her kind smile fading a little. "As for the story on why you're here, well, I suppose it almost ties in with what I and some of my servants witnessed at the Gerudo Mesa. I'll start at the beginning."

She didn't wait for anyone to interrupt. "Months ago it came to my attention that one of the isles in this realm, previously abandoned, was showing signs of activity. Not much: two or three people had suddenly decided to inhabit it. At first I took the report for granted, believing that it was just some stray monsters looking for food. It was foolish on my part."

"Princess Midna, please, do not belittle yourself," the tall Twili at her right hand begged.

Midna gave him a consoling look before continuing. "There were strange things going on at that isle for a while. Finally I went to investigate, but there was no one there, no signs of life save some writing inside a closet wall that described something called a 'Grell'."

Dijonay's heart jumped and she exchanged looks with the others.

"You know what it is, I see." Midna took note of their somber expressions. "I had my servants make one of those Grells and we quickly learned that it could act as a portal between our world and yours. I took a couple of servants with me and meant to use it to surprise Link and Zelda – they're dear friends of mine.

"But instead I came upon the scenes at the Gerudo Mesa. I don't know the details, but my servants and I saved you in the midst of that explosion, and took you back through the Grell portal. You've been here two days. Your having been unconscious for that long is normal, I guess, considering the Grell sucked out almost all of our energy and then some in order to bring us all back here."

"Now, I'd like to ask you all a few questions pertaining to the events in the Mirror Chamber," Midna went on. "I'd like to understand why any of that had to happen. If any of you could give me an explanation, I'd greatly appreciate it."

The humans exchanged looks with one another once more, and then the blue-haired one stepped forward. Midna waited for him to speak.

And before the audience gathered in the throne room, Brent informed Midna of the events that had occurred outside of her world, starting with the separation of the Triforce of Power and how he and the others, along with Link, had been searching for its pieces. He then described the story of Malbex and Morbex, along with the pact of their people, and concluded with how Malbex had, undeniably, succeeded in his plot.

Link and Princess Zelda had died because of their failure, he reminded himself, and he felt a helpless anger surround him as the tale of their long, perilous journey drew to a close.

Midna had watched him carefully as he spoke, drinking in his words and lining his story up with what she had witnessed before rescuing them all. When he had finished, her crimson eyes bored into nothingness as she wrapped her mind around it all.

Brent watched her silently, and when she straightened up in her seat he waited for her to speak.

"That's quite a story," she said slowly. "…But I believe every word of it."

In all honesty, her guests would have expected nothing less. If this princess truly was the same Midna that had accompanied Link on his previous quest, then she had probably seen, or even heard, even more peculiar things than what Brent had just informed her of.

"I guess now we have to decide what to do next, right?" Midna asked, her eyes sliding across each of their faces. "This…Prince Malbex most likely presumes you all to be dead. If you were to all return to the Light Realm, he probably wouldn't expect it."

"But…" Renée almost sucked in her breath when she spoke, worried she had raised her voice out of turn. But when Midna's eyes rested upon her in interest, she continued, "But, what would we do if we did return? I mean…we…" She trailed off, her eyes falling to the ground.

"We lost." Katrina's words, though true, sounded empty and cold, piercing Renée's thoughts and causing self-belittlement to wash over the girl's face. She peeked up at the Corvenian's profile through her dark side bangs. "But I want to go back. Malbex deserves to die for everything he's done. I'll kill him myself if I have to."

Midna studied the girl quietly, both impressed yet troubled by her determination. Choosing not to linger on this topic, which clearly made the Corvenian's blood boil, she instead steered the discussion in a new direction.

"Considering what you said earlier," her eyes panned over to Brent's face, "Prince Malbex has probably caused an even bigger problem by taking the Triforce and trying to add Hyrule to his new kingdom." When Brent frowned along with his allies, she plowed on.

"My ancestors are the reason we Twili have been banished to this dimension, but before that they studied and researched the Triforce until their eyes burned from reading. The relic itself isn't divine or anything like that, as you might already know, but it does have the tendency to act like a mirror. Whoever has it, good or bad, their personality affects the Triforce, the Sacred Realm where the Triforce once dwelled – Hyrule, in this case – and any place that the person's influence can reach.

"I don't know if Prince Malbex is capable of ruling the way he wants to" – Midna adjusted her seating so that she was propping an arm on the throne's armrest and digging her fist into her cheek –"but based on his actions, I personally don't think he is. The Triforce might read into that and project something nasty onto this 'New Eldonis'."

"Nasty how?" Renée pressed, disturbed by the Twili's choice of words.

Midna raised a shoulder. "I'm not entirely sure. But the people will most likely read it as a bad omen, if they haven't read the deaths and disappearances of their previous rulers as a bad omen already.

"When The Triforce is held by someone with a perverse heart, the Sacred Realm loses its purity, and the land could be overrun with monsters, yield poor harvests, sicknesses could spread, or plagues…" She flourished a hand. "Etcetera." Sighing, she straightened up. "When I think about Hyrule's history and all the times it's been on the brink of destruction, I get exhausted. The poor citizens…they hardly ever get a break."

"How would we even go about getting the Triforce away from Malbex?" Brent asked, making a gesture with his hands. "We don't even know where he is, or what he's up to."

"True, we don't." Midna brought an index knuckle to her lips and cast her eyes to the side thoughtfully. "…And when we do face him, we're going to need Link and Zelda's help…"

Dijonay's heart lurched painfully, and her voice almost didn't leave her throat. "Y…Your Highness," she began cautiously and Midna looked down at her. "Do…do you not know?"

"Not know what?" Midna frowned confusedly and then blinked as horror flashed through her eyes. "Oh no! That should have been the first thing I said. I apologize."

Dijonay's look remained grave. "N-no, Your Highness… Link and Princess Zelda…" She glanced at Brent. "We told you that…that they are dead."

If Midna was astonished by the news she didn't show it. She only continued to stare at Dijonay, and her thin eyebrows puckered briefly. "Link and Zelda aren't dead."

The prime minister froze, her heart hammering against her chest. Was the princess in denial?

"It's kind of funny, actually." Midna eased herself in the throne, resting her forearms on the armrests. "When we brought you all here, we thought Link and Zelda were as dead as dead could get. But right when my servants were taking their bodies to prepare them for burial, they noticed that both of them had a pulse. A really faint one, but it's definitely there."

Dijonay felt her knees buckle as tears built in her eyes for the umpteenth time. Beside her Mekial grinned. The spirits of Brent and Renée were lifted with this announcement as well, and so the only one who seemed unsatisfied was Katrina. Something had lit in her eyes, but her lips remained pressed into a tight line and her body stiff.

"I have some servants looking into how they survived," Midna went on, her own expression lighting up when she saw how the group shared in her joy, "because they should've died when their Triforce pieces were ripped out of them. That's probably what Prince Malbex had been hoping on. Once they're back to normal, we can lay out a plan on what to do about that prince. Sound good?" When her guests nodded, she got to her feet. "Great!

"But as you might've already guessed, you'll have to live here until any of that can start. I can't let you in to where Link and Zelda are so that they can receive proper treatment without any distractions, but you're welcome to wander around the rest of the realm and see what this place has to offer. It's a bit bleak and depressing when you first see it, but I have no doubt you'll get used to it. You'll eat in the palace dining hall with me at mealtimes, and the servants will show you where it is, as well as where you'll be sleeping. I think that wraps up everything." She gazed down at them affectionately.

"In the meantime, I'll be in and out. Riven, my right-hand here," she held a hand out to the Twili that had been standing beside her throne the entire time, "will help you if you need something. But if you see me, don't hesitate to speak to me. Like I said before, any friends of Link and Zelda's are friends of mine."

She smiled one last time. "All right, now you're all dismissed. Baromet will show you to your new quarters." She nodded to the Twili that had led the humans into the throne room and he bowed before ushering the people outside and back into the long corridors.

With the palace being as enormous as it was the group did not have to share rooms as they once had. The rooms Baromet took them to were all near each other and they each housed one person, but were so large that they probably had enough room for two or three.

In each of their new quarters the high ceiling looked down on the large room, which bore a comfortable white bed in the corner and large windows that looked out into the open space of the Twilight Realm. Couches and a small table gave the place a homey appearance and an open doorway led out onto a small terrace.

On this terrace a black crystal ball was placed on a pedestal, and Baromet explained that placing your hand on the sphere's surface would make it light up and a floating platform would appear beneath their feet to take them straight up to the Palace Balcony. It held the greatest view the palace could offer, the Twili went on, and from there other platforms could carry them to different isles.

After his explanation was complete the Twili bustled off to take care of other duties, and the group spread out to learn of the building that would now serve as their lodging.

* * *

As Renée strolled through the maze of hallways and peeked out the tall windows to the dark world beyond, there was no doubt in her mind that it would take a while to get used to everything.

She probably wandered the same corridors three times before she finally found her way back to her room, and from there she walked out to the terrace to test out the strange technology that Baromet had described. She eyed the black orb for a moment, pausing in uncertainty before she finally pressed her palm against it.

Warmth surged through the ball at her touch and it glowed mystically, responding to her request. Blue lines stretched and darted through the ground beneath her feet, startling her and she watched, amazed, as one of the glowing lines formed around the symbols in the shape of a square.

In the next instant the entire symbol floated out of the ground, taking on the outline of a 3-D platform. Renée resisted the urge to jump off of the strange object, unnerved by how she could see straight down to the floor, and instead raised her eyes as it lifted her into the air.

There was something eerily beautiful about the Twilight Realm she then realized, gazing out at its black and amber horizon and pinpointing the figures of the distant isles. As the platform beneath her continued to ascend she turned her face up in time to see that it intended to carry her through a square opening above.

She let it, and as she stepped off the platform and onto the balcony it had raised her to it disappeared from sight. The Palace Balcony was even larger than she imagined, its entire form jutting out from the palace wall to reach towards the harsh clouds that covered the entire realm.

As Renée gazed at the view beyond, her eyes nestled onto a being sitting on the edge of the platform with his legs dangling off the side. Recognizing who it was, she strode forward and sat beside him, hugging her legs close.

She peeked over at Brent's face and her shoulders tensed. "Oh boy. You're sulking."

Brent didn't say anything to this, but instead continued to stare out at the clouds, watching as their unyielding forms struggled to blot out the distant twilight.

"What's wrong?" Renée wasn't used to seeing Brent like this, in all the years that she had known him. It was more in his character to be jovial and laughing, joking around with those that were around him. Rarely did he ever withdraw to brood over something, and Renée could only wonder what he was thinking about.

"Remember when those Corvenian survivors first came to Taranis?" he asked after a moment.

"Yeah. Why?"

Brent didn't respond immediately. But when he did he sounded distant, as if he were not truly beside her. "I remember being so angry when I found out what happened to them," he confessed, "and I wanted to help find the person that destroyed their home. His actions had kind of affected our work as Hylian Rights Groups, too."

Renée shifted on the ground to better comfort herself, waiting for him to go on.

"I don't think I ever realized it before," he said quietly, "or really thought about it until I talked to Katrina in the infirmary. She said she wanted to kill Malbex. And when I was telling Princess Midna about why Malbex did what he did, I…" He sighed. "I realized that he and I are kind of alike."

"How?" Renée spurted out, stunned. "You guys are nothing alike! He's murdered who knows how many people, and…"

"But we were both rejected. By our fathers."

Renée clamped her mouth shut.

"…I guess I have empathy for him or somethin'." Brent lifted a knee and rested his arm across it. "I can see how being hurt like that would lead him to do what he's doing."

Renée continued to stare at him as he looked out into the twilight. "That doesn't make it right."

"I know. But I wonder how bitter I'd be if I had been in his place. If I hadn't met the people I did back when my father first kicked me out of the Estate…at eight years old." He stopped, the pain of that night refreshed in his mind and he clenched his hand into a fist.

Renée didn't answer. Aaron had been Brent's best friend since childhood, and he had been the one who first told her of Brent's history. The blue-haired teen himself didn't talk about it much and she could barely imagine what it would be like to be denied by your own parent. Her own parents had loved her and Mekial unconditionally, up until the storm at sea had whisked them away.

She followed Brent's eyes with her own. "I don't think you would've gone on a killing spree like he did," she said softly. "Or risked the destruction of the empire." She lowered her knees until her legs were extended enough for her heels to reach the edge of the balcony. "I dunno. Maybe you and him are alike when it comes to how your dads treated you. But as for everything else, you seem like different people to me. I mean, he's just…bitter. He probably let it eat him up over the years and…" She lowered her eyes. "And he didn't really have anyone to talk to about it…"

"Then maybe I lucked out, getting people like you, Aaron and Ivan." Renée smiled as she remembered the large, redheaded man that had acted as a father-figure to her friend. Thick and muscled with a voice that practically made walls tremble, he was one of the kindest men she had ever known. She was drawn back to the present by Brent's voice, "Even Lemm."

"He's so annoying," Renée breathed, but Brent heard her anyway.

"Yeah, he can be a pain. But he's just opinionated and has so much confidence in himself that he doesn't care what people think about him. Even with that, if I hadn't known him, I would've never wound up in Taranis."

A long and subdued silence followed Brent's words, until he broke it with another utterance of his thoughts.

"I think if I ever had gotten a better chance to, I would've tried to talk to Malbex."

Renée looked at him, fighting the urge to smirk. "Katrina'd probably kill you if she heard you say that."

Brent released a short laugh. "Still. Maybe I could've been the person to him that all those people were for me. Never know."

"Do you think it would've changed anything?"

"Well, knowing what I know now, no." Brent laughed humorlessly. "He's insane."

Renée chuckled alongside him. "You're too nice, you know that?"

Brent laughed again, lighter this time and Renée turned her attention to the twilight. "…I don't think I'd be able to say anything to Malbex," she said after a moment. "Honestly, I don't even want to face him. There's something about him that's just…unnerving." She curled her legs in so that they were criss-crossed and she rested her arms on her thighs. "When people are as twisted as he is…I always wonder, 'what can you even hope to do for someone like that?'" She dropped her eyes with a sigh and stared at her boots for a moment before going on. "…As Malbex's brother, do you think that Morbex ever wanted to talk to him, too?"

"Probably."

Renée frowned thoughtfully, silently brooding over the last time they had seen the young prince. "Then…I wonder why he turned against us."

Brent looked over at her then back to the scene before them. "I don't know." He paused. "Maybe he was really planning it all along."

Renée's eyebrows crinkled in sadness as she gazed up at Brent, and then she diverted her eyes to the distant, red skies.

But as she looked to them, she suddenly recalled the silver-haired man that had been standing in the shadows of the Mirror Chamber, his red eyes darkening to the color of blood.

Morbex had seen the man as well, she remembered, and he had pushed her away instantly.

_But…_

Her eyes narrowed.

_Why?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Dijonay ambled through the corridors, sidestepping Twili servants and rounding random corners as she attempted to unveil the mystery of the building's design. Blue symbols glowed on every high wall, staring down at her as she followed the wide bends, slants and curves that the halls made. She wondered if she would ever be able to memorize it.

Just as she began to compare this colossal palace to the dwelling of the Arkanian Empire's emperor, she circled around yet another corner and saw that it was a dead end. Only a few meters down this hall was a tall, arched doorway that led out to a terrace like the one in her new chambers, and sitting upon the broad stone railing that enclosed it was Katrina, with her back pressed against the archway's frame.

Dijonay swung around and went in the other direction, following the turns of the halls and passages until she came upon a long corridor that was dimly lit by the light that streamed through the palace window on her left. A lone figure was standing in front of it, looking out in a bored manner.

"Mekial?"

The boy looked up at her voice and instantly straightened up. Dijonay spread a hand. "Do you mind if I join you?" She walked to his side when he nodded and turned her eyes out into the dim scenery that the window looked out to.

"This stupid Twilight Realm is too gloomy for me," the child blurted out, leaning against the sill again. "I hope Link and the princess get better quick."

"Yes…" Dijonay's heart fluttered at the thought of the two Hylians really being alive, but then a troubled frown took her countenance. "Mekial… Why do you suppose that…Morbex would turn against us like he did?"

Mekial didn't answer. All he could do was furrow his eyebrows.

"Do you…do you suppose that he truly was working for Malbex all along?"

"No." Mekial's answer came so quickly that Dijonay almost jumped. "Morbex wouldn't do that."

"How do you know?"

"…I can't believe that." Mekial settled for staring out the window panes, pounding those words into his own thoughts. "He risked his life for me when we were fighting the argorok, and he gave us too much information when he first met us. It doesn't make any sense for him to be a spy."

"I…do not wish to believe it either," Dijonay agreed. "Morbex was, and still is our friend. I do not believe that he would betray that friendship." Her thoughts wandered back to the time she had spent with him, Renée and Katrina back at the Hidden Village's inn. "Not one bit."

"Then you're naïve."

The jeer came from behind and was so dreadfully familiar that Dijonay couldn't stop a chill from racing up her spine. She whirled around as Mekial straightened, and they spotted Katrina further down the hall. She was glaring at them, but there was something empty in her stare, as if it was missing the hatred that she continuously harbored.

"Surely you remember the time we spent with him in the Hidden Village," Dijonay piped up against her will, unnerved by Katrina's ghostly appearance. "I do not believe that he would hurt us."

Katrina gave her a strange look. "He tried to kill us."

"Y-yes, but…but he…"

"I told all of you from the start that he was probably using us," the Corvenian said darkly, her eyes fixed on the young prime minister. "If he's related to Malbex, he probably shares Malbex's selfishness. He took everything you gave him for granted, just like a typical spy would."

"Do you have to be suspicious of everything?" Mekial snapped, rounding to stand in front of Dijonay. "Maybe it seemed like a bad idea to trust Morbex at first, but he gave us tons of information – he even trained a giant dragon for us! Villain profiling is dumb."

"It was probably to his advantage," Katrina returned coolly. "But I'm not here to argue with you –"

"Should've thought of that before you insulted Morbex," Mekial broke in. "You thought Sheik was a spy too, but you were wrong about that! Morbex helped us!"

"And then he nearly killed every last one of us!" Katrina reminded him, her patience breaking. She paused as the headache she had experienced earlier attacked her skull again. "He threw me around like I was some kind of toy, and then he went and blew us up!"

Mekial ripped his eyes off of Katrina, glowering at nothing. Every part of him screamed in denial, refusing to believe her words, but the rational part of his mind knew that such a thing was impossible. Morbex really had tried to kill them. And he hadn't even flinched when he did it.

But Mekial's pride refused to let him lose the argument. He forced the gears in his brain to shift.

He wasn't wrong – he'd prove it.

"Morbex probably –"

But Katrina spun on her heel and stalked away. "The servants say dinner's ready," she called over her shoulder, and she disappeared up a set of stairs. Mekial resisted the urge to scream.

_Kids_, the Corvenian grumbled as she pumped her way up the tall staircase. They didn't know anything. They were hopeless. And uncannily ignorant.

She had never allowed herself to grow close to Morbex, treating him only as what he had made himself available as: a source of information. Though it had bothered her immensely, it hadn't surprised her at all when he had decided to turn his back on them. She had tried to warn everyone.

But they didn't heed her words. To them, she was probably nothing more than a hateful, angry Corvenian who lashed out at everything.

But that wasn't true.

Katrina stopped at the head of the staircase, looking up and down the dim hall to see where she should go next in order to find Brent or Renée.

It was not as though she tried to hate everything, despise everyone. She just couldn't seem to trust anymore.

Her hopes had died with her family, and the last of her kindness with it. People outside of the Isles were either cruel or childish, and her adventures thus far did little to disprove that. Even Link was hopelessly friendly, like a child.

_Like Ellie._

Katrina halted at the abrupt thought of her younger sister, feeling as though something had rammed itself against the fortress surrounding her heart. Mekial was like Keagan, too, now that she thought about it – stubborn and hotheaded, but still kind and lively.

Katrina shook the thought away and continued to march through the halls, swallowing her tears and stuffing her anguish into the deepest pits of her being. Her brother and sister were gone, their lives snuffed out like a candle in the dead of night. The memory of them was too painful even for her to bear.

So she pushed their faces away and plunged through the corridors until she finally identified Renée and Brent's forms strolling in her direction. As she drew near, they fixed their attention on her.

"Servants are looking for us," she told them shortly. "Dinner's ready."

* * *

"Glad you all could make it," Midna greeted as the outlanders filed into the palace's large dining hall. An elongated table spanned the length of the room and was already decorated with covered platters and various dishes: salads and meat, fruits and vegetables, dinner rolls and glasses of water. Considering the dim world of the Twilight Realm, it was a wonder as to where Midna's servants had found such food.

Midna sat at the head of the table and as the meal commenced she informed them of Link and Zelda's status. They were a long way off from recovery, but the fact that they would one day open their eyes was still possible. When that day was close, she promised that she would take them all to see the two Hylians, and there the Twili helping them would inform them of why the pair had wound up in their present state.

Even still that day was far off, and it seemed to be even further away the longer the group stayed in the realm of Twilight. Dijonay sometimes found herself wondering if Link and the princess would ever awaken, fearing that there was a limit to the Twili's abilities.

But Midna did not seem to care. In fact, it came to the group's attention during the sunless blend of days and nights that Midna was being seen less and less inside the palace.

At first they thought it was because of her duties as princess, but after Renée asked Riven about it at one of their meals, when Midna's seat was empty for the eighth time in a row, they learned that the princess was traveling with the Grell.

In the days that ensued Midna was sometimes caught in between disappearances looking smug or cocky, and other times she even appeared with an air of defeat or anger. Her empty seat in the dining hall soon became a normal sight for her guests.

So they took her up on her offer of wandering through the Twilight Realm, leaving the palace on floating platforms to see what other sights this dimension had to offer. It didn't take long for them to have everything memorized.

From her new chambers Renée could make it to the area she and Brent had designated for sparring with her eyes closed.

Dijonay had taken the path to the archive so many times that her mind teased her into believing she had worn the trail into the floor.

Mekial knew the surrounding isles so well and practiced his magic in so many different places that the Twili there knew him by name.

Katrina knew the locations of every balcony by heart and lounged on a different one almost every day.

Brent had studied the palace's interior so well that he knew what was in every room he could gain access to, and had soon shown Mekial to a section of the library that offered games that challenged the mind. Games they already knew of were there, along with an assortment of others that they had never even heard of.

When Renée walked in on them one day, swallowing the last of a handful of grapes she had asked a servant for, she found the two playing a game of chess.

Mekial was studying the board, unaware of his approaching sister as he prepared for his next move. With his brow furrowed, he smiled dryly. "Ahh, I see what you did there," he muttered. Brent sat up.

"Huh?"

"You put your rook there and set up a trap. I almost fell for it, too."

"…I hadn't even noticed that, actually," Brent admitted, staring down at what Mekial was pointing at. He sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin, smiling proudly. "Ahh, I see what I did there."

Mekial laughed, and Renée nearly choked on her grape as she did the same. "Jeez, Brent."

He looked up at her, trying to smile innocently. "What?"

In spite of the fun that they all managed to have, it soon proved easy to lose complete track of time. Renée often pondered how the Twili could keep track of the hours and days, for she herself was so used to the sun and the moon to keep track of it for her.

So she was immensely surprised when a servant informed her that she and the others had been in the Twilight Realm for close to five months.

"_What_?" Brent looked just as surprised as she was when she told him. "Five _months_? You sure that's in our time?"

"That's what the Twili said," Renée maintained and then her shoulders slumped. "Should it really take this long for Link and the princess to wake up again?"

Brent didn't reply, for the same question had jumped through his thoughts.

They couldn't ask Midna about it, he reminded himself, because as far as he knew she had vanished again, this time for what felt like weeks. But with his sense of time being as off as it was, he wasn't really sure how long she had been gone this time.

"Months?!" Mekial had burst when Brent brought it up with him in the library game room. He often spent time with the boy there, both of them sharpening their minds with the endless choice of board games and strategy sets.

The child was starting to feel like his own brother – they even had made up a type of embrace they called the 'Man Hug', where they'd throw their arms around each other and pat each other's backs once, then slowly step away with their arms spread.

"Is that in _our _time?" Mekial asked, wide-eyed and Brent shrugged, moving one of the dark, cylindrical pieces of wood across the board between them.

Mekial looked down, studying the move Brent had just made and released a brief cry. "I lost again!" Growling, he clutched the sides of his head, his teeth visibly clenched.

Brent laughed. "What can I say? I'm just a master at this – you can't beat me!"

Mekial growled again, defiantly this time. "No! One more round!"

"What do you suppose Malbex is doing?" Dijonay had asked Renée when she had also learned of the duration of their stay. "And…Morbex…"

Renée turned her eyes to the view granted by the Palace Balcony. "No idea. But if what Princess Midna said is true, then it's probably nothing good."

Dijonay suddenly felt weary when Renée returned to her quarters after staying with her on the Balcony. Though she appreciated the lack of danger that allowed her to once again grow close to her old friend, Dijonay still felt nervous.

The longer they stayed here, hidden in this world, the more time Malbex had to erect his new kingdom. And like Princess Midna had said: such a thing was probably not a good thing.

The girl started when she heard the sound of footsteps and turned her back on the Balcony, expecting to see Renée having returned to say one last thing to her.

Much to her surprise, it was Brent.

"Oh." He stopped when he recognized her. "I didn't think anyone was up here."

Dijonay pursed her lips. With time being as loopy as it was for them now, it was difficult to say when the Balcony would be occupied or when it would be deserted.

But when she recalled how the palace halls had steadily begun to empty as she had made her way up here, she figured that according to the Twili, night had probably crept up on them long ago.

In the months that she had been in the Twilight Realm, Dijonay had not spoken to Brent much. Their conversations were brisk and fleeting, sometimes even passing between them as simple nods of acknowledgement. Now with him walking towards her, she could not help but feel uneasy.

Brent sat a few feet away from her, hanging one leg off the ledge and pulling one knee up to let an arm rest against it.

Dijonay watched him wordlessly before she returned her eyes to the twilight. Talking to Brent, her only living, blood relative, proved to be difficult for her ever since the events surrounding his arrest what felt like ages ago. Although she had received forgiveness, she herself could not let go.

She wondered if Brent had. There were a lot of things he could hate her and their family for now that she thought of it, beginning with their father's rejection of him and how she had allowed the man's distrust of Hylians to cloud her judgment of him.

Then all at once she recalled the words Link had spoken to her the night she had helped them all escape the castle dungeons:

_"Make your own judgment."_

She had barely been six years old when Brent had been disowned. She didn't know, nor could she remember anything at all about him, save his striking blue hair and light brown eyes. She wondered if he could remember anything about her.

"Uh…" She cleared her hoarse throat bashfully and with her eyes cast aside. Brent felt a shiver run through his pointed ears when she spoke, and he looked at her out of the side of his eye. "The…Twilight is very pretty."

"…Yeah." Brent refaced the grand view. "It is." It was difficult to tell if he felt as awkward as she did. But judging from his relaxed posture and the calm look in his secluded stare, he did not.

Brent only remembered Dijonay as his younger relative, rumored to have an ability to see into the future. He could not say that he had grown closer to her at all in their journey; in fact, in spite of her deal with him they had probably grown even farther apart, as though they were just strangers that had made a bargain that conveniently led them to travel together.

Dijonay toyed with the hem of her dress, her mind going blank. How could she ever hope to befriend someone that she and everyone she had grown up with had pushed away for so long?

She nearly got up and left – but if she did that then nothing would change. And she might not ever be able to see Hylians as the people that they were.

But even with such a desire motivating her, her mind could not form the start of an engaging conversation.

She looked over at Brent when he suddenly shifted, turning to see someone that was sprinting towards them from a dark corner of the balcony.

With his breath coming out in pants as he dashed towards the pair, the person was so obscured in shadow that it took a moment to identify him. Finally, the tawny glow of the sky caught his face.

"Brent! Oh, Dijonay you're here, too!" Mekial slowed to a stop in front of them, beaming with uncontainable delight. "Guess what?!"

"What?" Brent asked, genuinely intrigued by Mekial's behavior. The boy looked like he was going to explode into confetti.

"Princess Midna says that Link and Princess Zelda are awake! She wants to take us to them!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Please keep in mind that they have only awoken a short while ago," the Twili servant informed the group as he guided them towards the room that Link and Zelda had been taken to. So far they were far from their quarters and had descended a couple of flights until they were in the back of the palace's ground level. "Princess Midna requests that you do not overwhelm them."

But Mekial was already overwhelmed with glee. Renée could feel it radiating off of him. He respected Link and felt like he had utterly failed him when he could not rescue him from Malbex in time. Knowing that he was alive and awake gave an extra bound to the boy's step.

Dijonay was also struggling to contain her excitement, her heart drumming against her chest and her hands fidgeting with the hem of her dress. After what seemed like years of wandering through the palace the servant finally opened a sliding door and ushered them towards a tall, glowing door at the end of a straight hallway.

The entry was taller than any of the other doors they had passed through but bore the same intricate, glowing symbols that the group had spotted throughout the Twilight Realm. The Twili stood before the door and as if it had identified who it was it ascended through its frame with a dull roar.

The room beyond was small and square, with a few rigid benches built into the walls. The Twili excused himself and strolled through an open doorway on the left, leaving the humans to crowd the room as they waited.

Brent wandered towards the back of the area where a small table had been carved out of the wall, just like the benches. An assortment of objects was placed upon it, ranging from scrolls and documents to strange utensils that he had never before laid eyes on. But what caught his attention more was the sight of Link's belt pouch, and the few items that had been withdrawn from it.

The velvet pouch that had once contained the shards of Power was nestled beside Link's bag, empty and sagging, and beside it were one of his Clawshots, as well as his lantern. Glittering in front of the unlit lamp was a small red stone that Brent instantly recognized.

He picked up the crimson rock, surprised to find that it was cool to the touch and stared at the orange light that pulsed inside it. As he observed it his ears picked up the sound of the Twili servant returning and he turned around to face him, replacing the stone on the table.

"This way, please." The Twili beckoned them into the room and vanished behind the doorframe. The group moved to follow.

They had to turn to the right to follow the bend of the little hall beyond, which opened out into the next room. It was larger than the last, with cases of books and scrolls that took up the back and left wall. In the very center of the room were two stone altars, parallel to each other with a set of four stairs that led from their feet to the floor. And on each bed a single being sat, blinking blearily as they adjusted to the dimness.

Dijonay could withhold herself no longer. "Link!" The cry broke off into a wail as she threw herself onto her companion, wrapping her arms around his neck and breaking into tears.

The other Twili in the room started and Link grunted with the impact, his disoriented mind struggling to figure out who was hugging him.

Suddenly realizing what she was doing Dijonay released him, smiling, sobbing and laughing all at once. But as he stared at her, his face twisted into a perplexed frown, Brent got the nagging feeling that something was wrong.

"I am just…so happy that you are all right…" Dijonay sniffed and wiped her eyes as she turned to meet the eyes of Princess Zelda. "And you as well, Your Highness… I thought…thought for sure, that…" She cut herself off as she succumbed to another surge of tears. "Forgive me. I am just…so very glad…"

"…Oh." Link blinked, as if he suddenly remembered who she was. But his face was vacant. "You."

Dijonay sniffed and studied him in bewilderment, not knowing whether to feel offended or worried.

"Link, how are you feeling?" Mekial piped up, jumping in front of him. "You know you've been out for months? You're probably still groggy, huh?"

"Yeah…" Link's voice came out as a mumble.

"Your Highness, are you all right?" Renée asked, directing her attention to the Hylian princess as Brent walked over to greet Link. Stone-faced, Katrina moved to join her.

When Zelda looked at Renée, her blue eyes cold and foggy, Renée felt her heart compress. Zelda stared at her through squinted eyes, her eyebrows drawn into a frown, and Renée took a hesitant step forward. "Princess Zelda…?"

"…O-oh. You are…Elizabeth, correct?"

Renée stared her, but then reminded herself that she and Zelda had not been around each other very long. "No, Your Highness. My name's Renée."

"Oh…" Zelda looked like she was struggling to focus on the girl's face. "My apologies…" Her eyes drifted over to Katrina and she gave her the same squinty-eyed look she'd given Renée. "…The dragon…did not faint."

Katrina only stared at her. "Huh?"

"The dragon." Zelda's voice was quiet, almost hollow. "It did not faint."

Katrina looked at Renée, each of them mirroring the puzzled look on the other's face. "Uh, no." The Corvenian looked back at the princess. "It didn't. Good thing. I guess."

"Nice to see you've rejoined the Land of the Living," Brent said as he came up in front of Link. The Hyrulean looked up, his face uncharacteristically impassive and his voice strangely quiet.

"What?"

Brent scratched the back of his head, his humor fading. "Well, I mean…you almost died, man."

Surprise ignited in Link's otherwise empty cerulean eyes. "It felt…more like a nap."

"Well, people do compare death to sleeping," Mekial mumbled, but after glimpsing Dijonay's solemn face he regretted his words.

"Where are we?"

"This is the Twilight Realm," Dijonay informed him, drawing the young man's eyes. "Your friend, Princess Midna, saved us."

"Twilight Realm?" Link echoed softly. "I don't think I've ever heard of that."

Dijonay frowned concernedly and exchanged looks with Brent and her bodyguard.

Mekial eyed the Hyrulean nervously. "You okay, Link?"

"You told us you've been here before," Brent reminded him. "You had to help your friend, the princess, save this place, remember?"

The look on Link's face showed such honest confusion that for a second Brent thought he had unknowingly spoken another language. "I don't remember that," the Hylian declared. "Are you sure I told you that?"

Brent stared at him. "I swear you did."

Link looked away, racking his brains for a memory that would confirm Brent's words. But he couldn't recall anything. "You might have the wrong person…" He scrutinized the tall Hylian for a second. "Did you say your name was…Bo?"

Brent searched Link's blank face and his dread became visible. "Er, no… But I use a Bo _staff_."

"So it's not Bo…?" Link raised his eyebrows then let his eyes swivel away in thought. "I know someone named Bo…" He suddenly looked around the room. "Now that I think about it, I probably slept in for work again…"

Brent's eyes left Link's face. Even after waking up from a long slumber, no one should be this scattered. As his eyes moved from one of the Twili to another, he found Midna speaking with one of them, her painted face shadowed and grave.

"What's wrong with them?" he asked when the princess's talk with the Twili was finished. His words struck a chord in his allies, and as one they followed his gaze towards Midna's tall form.

Midna did not answer Brent's question, choosing instead to make an implying gesture that she wanted the supervisor to explain.

"Well, uh… In order to revive them completely," the Twili she had spoken to began, his voice a bit shaky, and Brent noticed that when he spoke he kept on using his hands, as though they could aid him in his speech, "we had to call up to the surface the last of what was left of them."

Brent's heart jumped. "What do you mean 'the last of what was left of them'?"

"Well, as you can see they are a bit lightheaded and…absentminded," the Twili resumed, indicating the hero and princess with a hand.

Renée looked at them and identified the dull look in their eyes, as though they were walking the line between life and another coma.

"'A bit' seems like an understatement, don't you think?" Katrina spoke up, crossing her arms.

"No kidding. Link's over here babbling on about Bo's and Bo staffs." Mekial cast a fearful glance at the Hyrulean. "What's wrong with him?"

"Well, the Triforce is a very interesting thing," the Twili replied, wringing his hands together. "Interfering with it can cause strange things, sometimes unpredictable things, and –"

"Get on with it," Katrina broke in impatiently.

The supervisor sighed. "As I explained to the princess – there are no words to express how sorry I am – there was only so much we could do. Their Triforce pieces were entwined with their souls, their very beings. Ripping that out of them has left them empty; they're little more than a shell of who they once were.

"Normally the Triforce pieces leave the bodies of their hosts when all three pieces are close to each other," the servant rushed on, "but in this case, since Power had yet to be whole, they didn't react and so the extraction process gave them the push they needed to exit their hosts' bodies. But as a result, the Triforce took some of – no, most of their hosts with them. Their bodies collapsed because they couldn't handle it."

Katrina's face was deadpan. "So in a way they're still dead."

Dijonay sucked in her breath and the Twili winced. "I would…rather not word it that way…"

"But it's true. Look at them." Katrina inclined her head to the pair. "They're delirious, and when they're not delirious they looks like ghosts."

"Can you not fix them?" Dijonay stepped in, her hands clasped over her heart. "Please, we need them!"

"I'm sorry, but that's part of why we took this long already," the Twili raised his shoulders helplessly with a shake of his blue head. "We've been working very hard to drag every last bit of their minds out of this coma; their consciousness slipped through our fingers numerous times, it was so small. This is all we can do." The sorrow in his round, orange eyes was authentic, and Dijonay fought the urge to cry.

"Elam, I want you to go the archives and search for a way to fix this," Midna ordered, dropping her eyes to the stout creature. "Don't speak to me until you've found an answer. We can't leave them like this. I refuse."

"Y-yes. Yes, Your Highness." The servant bowed three times before he hustled out of the room, and Midna looked up at the humans once more. Her face was more serious than they had ever seen it.

"You all are to come with me," she ordered. "While Elam's working, there are some things that I need to tell you."

Leaving the other Twili to clean the area she took the group, including Link and Zelda, out of the room and silently led them through the halls, up one floor and into a conference room.

It was plain and just as dimly lit as every other room, with light blue orbs suspended near the ceiling and an ovular table in the very center. Tall chairs, their backs glowing with the palace's emblem, were stationed around it and as the party filtered inside they took a seat, though not until Midna gave them her permission.

The Twilight Princess seated herself at the head of the table and looked on at Link and Zelda's void faces worriedly before she spoke. When she did, she directed her words at the non-Hyruleans. "As you know, I've been in and out of the palace for the past several months. As Riven told you earlier, I've been traveling with the help of the Grell.

"I've been to see Hyrule and how it's faring," she suddenly looked very tense, "and to put it frankly, it's not a pretty picture. Prince Malbex works fast, I'll give him that.

"For one thing, Hyrule's shrouded in such dark clouds that it's almost as dark as it is here. Even still, it's not meant to be the heart of Malbex's spreading empire, but it is under the control of Alexandria Ruheart."

At this Renée took the liberty of speaking up. "He's using the surrounding countries to build his empire, right? The same ones whose rulers he's already killed?"

Midna nodded once more. "Yes. Many, if not all of Hyrule's neighbors have been annexed, and their settings look just as hopeless as Hyrule's. A lot of the people are feeling better now that their governments seem to be getting back in order, but still more are reading the dark clouds and everything else as a bad sign."

"Everything else?" Katrina repeated, almost unwillingly.

Midna paused, her eyes resting on the conference table's smooth surface in a moment of troubled thought. "Those Shadow creatures that you said allied with Prince Malbex are out in the open," she explained. "Everything's so dark now that they wander around freely. People are afraid of leaving their communities because of it. In some countries, trading caravans and traveling merchants have already been attacked. More monsters have been appearing as well.

"I didn't travel through the other countries very much, because I was scouting through Hyrule most of the time. I found out that the people of Hyrule's southernmost province, along with anyone who's rebelled against this new empire have been captured and gathered into Kakariko Village. The people are heavily monitored in case they try to strike up a rebellion, and there are guards all over the place. Other than that, I don't know what they plan to do with them."

"Do you have any good news?" Dijonay asked, and she was surprised when a spark of hope flashed in Midna's eyes.

"Yes, actually I do," she said, her voice lighter. "And it might help us out. While I was hopping all around these countries, I heard about the Hyrulean knights that had been chased out of the capital during the Soldier's Rebellion – I think you probably mentioned that," she added, looking at Brent.

"They were said to have taken refuge in Hyrule's northern mountains. I investigated and sure enough those soldiers were there. I explained a little bit about our plan to take down Prince Malbex's empire, and most of them were all for it. They want to rendezvous with us near Kakariko Village and rescue the captives, then make that their base." She stopped, allowing everyone to absorb her claims before she continued.

"Did they say how long they'll need to get to the village?" Brent asked.

"A little over a week."

"All right." He nodded. "Then I'll get to work on how we can take the village." This statement piqued Midna's interest. "Do you know how many soldiers they have?"

"Not a lot," Midna shrugged. "A handful? Maybe a little more."

Brent averted his eyes, wishing in the back of his mind that he had more accurate details to work off of.

"Oh, and before I forget," Midna's eyes flashed as a memory resurfaced in her mind, "there were these other people that were with the soldiers in the north. Only two: her and her friend joined up with the other soldiers after things in Hyrule started to look bad. When I brought up how you guys are staying at my place, she said she knew you."

Brent blinked quizzically. "She?"

"Yeah; her name's…Ashei, I think it was."

Mekial barely stifled a snort of laughter. "Ashei?" he repeated, his eyes dancing. "As in 'your skin is ah_-shay_'?" He laughed. "Better get some lotion there, 'Ah-_shay'_!"

Renée _'pfft'_ed and covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter. Even Katrina had a hard time fighting a small smile; though Dijonay appeared confused for a moment. Brent only closed his eyes and cupped his fingers around the bridge of his nose.

After overcoming her shock at the joke, Midna chuckled audibly. "Well aren't you a little comedian!"

Brent only shook his head as Mekial continued to snigger in his seat. "I can't believe he said that…"

Eyes twinkling Midna made to speak once again, only to be interrupted when the door swung open and Elam's short figure burst inside, waving a book excitedly. Midna's eyes swung over to him, clinging to the book that he clutched before falling to his face.

"You found something."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Elam hurried forward, bowing a couple of times before he extended the book to her. "Hyrule is a blessed country, Princess Midna, and as I was looking at its history for answers, I came upon this!"

Midna read some of the passage that cluttered the page the book was opened to, and then she voiced its title to the rest of the room, "'_The Regeneration Fairy_', huh." She fell silent, her face growing serious as she read more of the article. She sighed heavily. "It says that she hasn't been seen since the Great Flood. And she lives near dogwood trees?" She shook her head. "What in the name of Nayru is a 'dogwood' tree?"

"There are dogwood trees near my Estate," Dijonay pointed out after looking at Mekial across the table. "There were many in the courtyard."

"Are you talking about in your country?" Midna asked, looking between them. "I'm sorry but that won't work – it says here that the dogwood trees were in Hyrule. Maybe I missed something, but I didn't see any trees that looked like this while I was there." She motioned at the black and white illustration in the book. "And I've been to practically every part of Hyrule."

Dijonay deflated as all of her hope blew out of her. Renée slumped in the seat beside her.

"No, no, Princess!" Elam cried, shaking his head. "Another document spoke of finding where this Fairy is!" He provided a folded slip of parchment from the pocket of his robe and opened it up.

Midna placed the book on the table and examined the piece of paper, from its ragged edges to the story excerpt it displayed. Her eyes scanned the tale briefly, then dropped to the bottom to see sheet music and the lyrics of a melody. She nearly rolled her eyes.

"Elam I told you to find an answer. Not a story."

"May I see?" At Brent's polite request Midna handed him the parchment.

"I'm disappointed, Elam," she sighed. "This doesn't look very reliable."

"What's it say?" Mekial asked, leaning across the table towards Brent, who was directly opposite him. "I wanna see!"

"Hang on." Brent quickly read through the narrative. "It's a story talking about a poem. It's some kind of song the Fairy's supposed to sing when you're near her."

"So sing it!" Mekial burst.

"The dragon did not faint," Zelda mumbled from her seat opposite Renée. She eyed the princess worriedly.

"Well, it's actually in Ancient Hylian," Brent said plainly as he scanned the lyrics. "I can't read it."

"You can't?" Renée asked, her voice laced with shock. With how much Brent had studied the history of Hyrule and the Hylian race, she thought he would know everything about it.

"No," he sighed, laying the paper on the table. "I can pick out bits and pieces, but I can't read the rest of it."

"I beg your pardon, but we have records that say that dogwood trees used to cluster in the mountains of northern Lanayru Province," Elam explained. "I know this seems very far-fetched Princess" – Midna made a face of agreement –"but I believe that this is the answer to these Hylians' plight."

He peeked over at Link and Zelda: Link was sitting patiently and beside him Zelda had taken to listlessly examining a strand of her hair.

Midna followed his gaze with a slow exhale, rubbing her chin in contemplation. "I can't say that I want to agree with you," she said finally, closing her eyes and reopening them on her servant. "But I've known Hyrule's Fairies to be able to heal almost anything. Are you sure we can't just find any other one? I think there's one beneath the desert."

"Each Fairy has a different ability, Your Highness," her servant explained calmly. "Most have the ability to heal physical wounds, but this Fairy has the abilities that specifically heal other ailments, such as memory loss, or" – he gestured to Link and Zelda – "loss of self."

Midna directed her eyes over to the Hyruleans. "And you're absolutely _positive_ that this will work."

"I would bet my very life on it, Princess." The servant bowed.

Midna was mute for a moment, looking between Link and Zelda as she considered her servant's proposal. "…I suppose it's all we have to work with, then." She tucked the story excerpt into the book and closed it, then handed it to Elam. "Go back and try to find the exact location of those dogwood trees. We can't be running around Lanayru Province, especially since that part of Hyrule is so close to Malbex's accomplice. I'm a bit booked for today so give your report to Riven once you find something – in fact, go to him if you find something else that will make me feel less uneasy."

Taking the book from her the little Twili bowed cordially, then hurried out of the room and back towards the palace archive. After the door had clicked shut behind him, Midna returned her attention to the party before her. "I'm going to go with you guys when you go back to your world," she told them. "We'll use the Grell. You'll need this week to get ready, right?"

"Yes," Brent said.

"Going back now would probably ruin everything for us," Renée added.

Midna nodded her consent and directed her eyes to Brent. "And you said you can come up with a plan for seizing the village?"

"I trust that I can." The Hylian nodded.

"All right." Midna got up from her seat. "Then I'll leave you to it. But if you have need of anything, don't hesitate to ask." Brent tipped his head in acknowledgement and Midna let her gaze slide over the others. "Well, that concludes everything for now. Time can be a bit of a sneaky one around here, so I'll send a servant to let you all know when you'll be leaving. In the meantime, stay alert. Even without you light-dwellers having to get used to the Twilight Realm's sense of time, a week can fly by." After giving them one final, serious look she left the room, her dark robes billowing as she rounded a corner and vanished from their sight.

"I need to go get a map." Brent pushed his seat back and got to his feet.

"From where?" Renée asked, watching him with a pursed brow.

"There should be one in Link's bag…" Brent trailed off and suddenly sent his eyes to the Hylian. "Uh…you don't mind, do you?"

Link glanced away with a thoughtful frown, contemplating Brent's question. "No…" He looked back at him. "I guess not."

Brent gave a brisk nod and exited the room, retracing the trail they had taken to get to the conference room until he reached the tall door that led to the lab Zelda and Link had once been held in. As he approached, the stone gateway again rose of its own accord and sealed him within the small waiting area beyond when he stepped inside.

Without pausing Brent made his way towards Link's belt pouch, which was right where he remembered it. He eyed it anxiously, suddenly remembering all the times Link had pulled various items out of the small package, items that normally wouldn't fit in such a small bag.

_How does it even…_

Brent picked the bag up. It was as light as any other belt pouch he had come across. He put it back on the table and tentatively stuck his hand inside.

His stomach instantly lurched.

It felt like he was reaching into some deep void. He couldn't even feel the support of the table as he sifted through the pouch, his hand sliding through the coat of darkness until random objects started bumping into his knuckles.

Like they were just floating around in there.

Disturbed, Brent withdrew his hand and peeked into the bag. It was too dark to see the inside and so he replaced it on the table once more and, steeling himself, he shoved his hand back inside.

This time he ignored the floating items: a quiver, a slingshot, a strange, metal sphere attached to a chain and…was that a fishing rod?

"The heck…?" Brent continued hunting through the items until his fingers brushed against what he was looking for. He pulled his hand out and the map of Hyrule followed, glancing off the small, red stone that he had been looking at earlier.

His interest in the powerful stone rekindling, Brent picked it up and pushed it into the pocket of his jacket, reminding himself to examine it again later.

As the Arkanian tucked the folded map into another pocket his eyes rolled over the rest of Link's belongings on the table, then he dumped them into the belt pouch and left, taking the bag with him. His anxiety over its abilities quickly faded as he marched back through the palace halls, and he found himself wishing he had one for himself. It sure would help to keep things in Taranis more organized.

He'd have to ask Link how to get one later.

_When he's himself again, _he stipulated to himself.

He walked by the conference room when he saw that it was empty, and barely a hallway away ran into Baromet. Brent asked him for the location of Link's room so that he could give the belt pouch back to him but instead Baromet took the bag, saying he would make the delivery in his stead.

As he strolled off, Brent walked back towards his own quarters, gently closing the door behind him before laying the map out on the small table, flattening it out until the creases were just barely visible. He scanned the images briefly before he located Kakariko Village on the east side, and without even forcing it his mind whirred into action, first picking out geographical features and comparing them with what he remembered the village to have looked like in person. His thoughts took on the form of bullet points.

Mountains close it in on both sides.

Two entrances: north gate and south gate.

Brent's eyes flitted to the northeast side of the village, following a trail that wound up into Death Mountain, and he scratched out his last note.

With the Grell's help, three entrances: north gate, south gate, Death Mountain trail.

All likely to be guarded.

Death Mountain trail might have less security because it was still within the village.

Or it might not be – if the Gorons had or had not been deemed a threat.

With a puckering of his brow, Brent mentally highlighted that observation before continuing.

There were a number of cliffs around the village – they could be vantage points. Katrina could use one.

Brent paused. Besides Katrina, how many archers did they have?

He flitted through a playback of the discussion he and the others had had with Princess Midna. She hadn't even been sure how many people the generals had in their group.

Brent refocused his attention on the map, suddenly wishing Aaron was here. He was probably the best when it came to intelligence gathering. But as quick as the wish had come, Brent forced it away. He had to work with what he had.

And no matter how little that was, he had to make the most of it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"…What are you doing?"

Mekial looked up at the voice and turned around to find Link standing over him, his head cocked to the side as he stared down at what the boy was holding in his hand: it was a cup of water.

But the mage had not been drinking it – rather, he had been holding it with his eyes closed and his face screwed up in concentration. More than once the water had troubled and bubbled, but had not even come close to what Mekial had wanted it to do.

"I was practicing," he said, refocusing his eyes on the cup. "Morbex taught me how to freeze water back at the lake, so I'm trying it out again."

"The lake…?"

Link's blue eyes grew distant as he broke free of the present. Just that word alone made something flicker in the depths of his memories but he wasn't sure what it was.

He felt as if he had been to some kind of lake recently…or maybe he was just confusing it with the pond in Ordon? His mind buzzed, as though it no longer wanted to dwell on the topic.

So he decided to change it.

"Is Morbex…a friend of yours?"

Mekial stared up at him, his eyes wide. He dropped his face again and stared at the cup of rippling water, then placed it on the ground. His heart pounded in his throat, choking off his words.

How could he even respond to that?

He hesitated, lingering between the questions pooling in his mind. When he looked up again Link was still standing there, waiting for him to answer his query. Even in the short few seconds that Mekial held the man's gaze he found that he could not recognize him at all.

His eyes were remote and the very air around him was not full of determination and conviction like Mekial remembered. In fact there was nothing around him; like he was barely a shadow of who he once was.

He swallowed. "…What do you remember?" he finally asked. "Do you know anything that's going on right now?"

Link continued to stare down at him, but Mekial could easily tell that the ghost of his mind had retreated into his thoughts, searching for the answer to the boy's inquiry.

"My name," he answered finally.

Mekial's eyes were fastened onto him. "What is it?"

"…Link."

Mekial's heart unclenched…

"You called me that earlier, right?"

…and clenched up again. He got to his feet.

"Do you remember anything else?"

"Like what?"

Mekial shrugged. "Anything."

"Everything?"

"Everything. Anything. Anything at all."

"I'm…from Ordona Province," the Hyrulean started slowly. "I'm a shepherd. Of goats. We deliver milk to the castle. And –"

"Okay, maybe not everything," Mekial cut in. "What's your most recent memory?"

"I asked what you were doing –"

"N-not literally," Mekial interrupted. He rubbed his face in a stressed way, unsure of how to cope with Link's entirely different personality. "Before you woke up in the palace."

"I…" Link's mind buzzed again. "I…was working on the farm…and…"

Mekial waited.

And Link stopped. He worked on a farm. So what on earth was he doing here?

He turned his eyes to the Twilight Realm's sky beyond the railing of the terrace that he and the mage stood on. This world was so dark…where was he? How could he get to Ordon from here?

"And…?" Mekial dragged out the single syllable of the word, drawing Link's attention back to him.

"And…" Link's forehead creased as his eyebrows crinkled, his mind buzzing gallingly. "I…dreamed."

"About what?"

Images flashed through Link's head, blurring together so fluidly that it was difficult to tell one picture from another. His head spun as he tried to decipher them.

"Ships," he blurted out after a tense moment. "A city…over the sea. And an underwater palace…" He took a moment to sort through the haze of images again. "I was looking for something. And I had to find it first…"

He broke off at that and Mekial felt his hope rising. Maybe Link just needed to be awake so that he could remember everything. Sleep normally made people groggy; perhaps sleeping for five months had increased Link's grogginess a hundredfold.

"Those weren't dreams," he said when he realized that Link had stopped talking. "That city is real. It's called Peluma." He stopped uncertainly when Link gave him a slightly confused look, but he plunged on anyway.

"We…all of us: you, me, Dijonay, Renée, Brent and Katrina…and Morbex. We were all looking for the shards of something called the Triforce of Power. We had to get it before Morbex's older brother, Malbex did, remember?"

_Malbex._

Like the word 'lake', that word held power over him. Link had had a number of dangerous run-ins with that person. Something inside of him just knew it. And he had made contact with him again, sometime before he had fallen asleep.

But his thoughts buzzed. He couldn't remember. And he couldn't remember why he had fallen asleep either.

Mekial sighed, seeing that he was overwhelming him. "It's okay; think any longer and your head will explode. I've been told that sometimes." He glanced down the palace hallway. "Maybe going for a walk would help."

Link's face was unreadable. "Walk where?"

"Uh…" Mekial paused before an idea jumped at him. "Well, we've all gotten used to this place in the time you've been asleep so…I guess I could show you around." He picked up the small cup of water and after casting it a short, upset glance, he gulped it down. "The platforms here float by the way, and they're the only way to get around. So…" He glanced at Link and turned away, tilting his head to scratch the back of it. "Don't, like, try anything weird."

Link stared at him. "Weird how?"

Mekial shrugged and scratched his head again. "Like jump off…"

Confusion blanketed itself across Link's countenance. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't know!" Mekial burst, his scratching reverting to a few rubs before he dropped his hand to his side. "You're just acting a bit…" He shook his head with a bothered sigh. "Never mind." He stepped back into the palace to follow the hall and Link trailed after him.

"So…is Morbex a friend of ours?" he asked absently after a moment.

The corners of Mekial's eyes flinched and he recoiled to the day they had first met Morbex and all the information he had given them. He then fast-forwarded to how Morbex had always been the one to diffuse small arguments that the group had had and how, despite his frail form, he had always put their safety ahead of his.

Then he remembered how he had acted in the Mirror Chamber.

And Katrina's words.

His face darkened and he opened his mouth to speak. But nothing came out. Saying "no" to Link's question would mean that he accepted Katrina's suspicions. But saying "yes" would be immature…

"Mekial?" Link observed the child through an empty gaze, still waiting for him to answer.

"It's…pending," the mage said finally. "I'm not sure anymore."

Link looked away, searching through his clouded mind to find anything about someone named Morbex. He vaguely remembered blue skin…and red eyes…and…

But his memory grew even foggier and Morbex's blurry face was smudged away.

…Maybe he would remember later.

* * *

Renée pressed her elbows into her thighs and rubbed her face with her hands. This was beyond exhausting.

While she was seated at the table of her own room, Princess Zelda was sitting on the edge of her bed. Dijonay was sitting at the table with Renée and Katrina was leaning against the wall near the terrace. All three of them were working desperately to fill the princess in on everything that had happened, but the woman's mind was so hazy that she could barely remember anything.

Every fact they relayed to her was countered with an "I do not remember," or "I am sorry". The vacant, ghostly looks that she had given them with every reply was making Renée start to wonder if they were really getting anywhere.

"You are the ruler of a country called Hyrule," Dijonay was trying again as Renée tuned back into the conversation. "But, it has been taken over by Prince Malbex…" She sighed when Zelda's impassive expression remained unchanged.

"We should just let her be," Katrina said, pushing off of the wall. "Nothing we say is triggering anything."

Renée rubbed her forehead and refocused on the princess, hiding her fatigue behind a somber appearance. "What do you remember?"

"I…am a princess," Zelda replied.

There was something in her tone that Renée didn't believe. "You're sure?"

Dijonay shot her friend a perplexed look.

"That is what you told me," Zelda returned blankly.

"That's why I asked." Renée sat back. "We've been trying to talk to you for the past –what, half hour? – trying to remind you of all this stuff. But just tell us what you actually remember – please," she added, reminding herself who she was talking to. "Maybe we can start from there."

Zelda withdrew, pressing through her blurry thoughts in an attempt to sift through what she did remember; anything from before today, before she woke up in the lab downstairs.

Digging through her memories filled her with anxiety; but it was a familiar anxiety, one that she distantly recalled having felt numerous times before. But why? Was it because she had been a princess?

Was being a princess stressful?

Zelda took a breath and released it, throwing her eyes to the side where they narrowed fleetingly. "I had been…bothered by something," she said finally. "And…trust…" She clipped her words short as something fought through the fog to stand at the forefront of her memory. But something else beat it back and she was left groping around for it, hunting blindly for whatever she had almost remembered.

But it was futile; she could not find it.

"Do you recall anything about us?" Dijonay offered, gesturing to herself, Renée and Katrina simultaneously.

Zelda examined each of them for the same amount of time and her eyes backtracked to the girl that had spoken. Earlier she had introduced herself as Dijonay, and then – just like now – Zelda had felt as though she had already been acquainted with her. But no matter how hard she tried, she could not remember why.

But she did remember one thing.

"The audience hall," she spoke haltingly, as if the thought were still forming in her head. "You all and some others showed up in the audience…" She trailed off, her mind buzzing. She brought a hand to her temple and rubbed it.

After a moment her movement stopped and then she looked at each of them, her once empty eyes filled with so much guilt that it was almost heartbreaking.

"…I am sorry." The girls released a long sigh as Zelda looked at them. "I cannot remember."

Katrina tapped her foot against the floor, and then riveted her eyes on Zelda. "…You've been asleep for five months," she said flatly. "Maybe you need to wake up a little."

Zelda's sadness visibly vanished behind her earlier, empty look.

"I know!" Dijonay sprang to her feet. "I will take you to the Palace Balcony – perhaps there you will be able to think?" As Zelda got to her feet, Dijonay rounded on Renée. "Will you come with us?"

Renée paused hesitantly, her eyes flitting over to the bed before she looked back at the prime minister. It would certainly be quieter after she, Zelda and Katrina departed. Once they were gone Renée would be able to relax for just a little bit and recollect herself.

But at the same time, she did not want to resort to solitude. She got to her feet. "Sure…" She stretched her cramped legs as her eyes drifted towards Katrina. "Katrina? You coming?" Out of the side of her eye Renée noticed Dijonay shift uncomfortably.

"I…" Katrina turned away as a pink tone colored her cheeks, "don't like it up there."

Renée raised her eyebrows. "Really? But the view's –" She stopped as it hit her and she pressed her lips together. "Oh. Forgot."

Katrina rocked on the balls of her feet. "Let me know if she remembers anything up there. I'll…" she shrugged, "find something to do."

"Um, Brent might need help," Renée offered awkwardly. "Making a plan for Kakariko, I mean."

Something dark had passed over Katrina's face at the mention of Brent's name, making Renée's stomach twist in discomfort. The Corvenian tipped her head to her and left, and as the door clicked shut behind her the remaining trio made their way to the Palace Balcony.

Zelda barely reacted when they reached the wide platform, lacing her hands over her stomach as she stared out at the amber and black sky. There was something familiar about it, and after a short moment Zelda realized that it bore a slight resemblance to the sunset back in her country.

Her mind buzzed shortly before she remembered what the girls had called her homeland: Hyrule.

And the place she lived in was called Hyrule Castle.

For some reason, remembering that large building made Zelda's insides twist into knots. She had not liked it in the castle. But she could not distinctly remember why.

"Probably the best thing this place has to offer," Renée piped up from behind her, luring Zelda back to her present location. "Next to having our own rooms of course." Zelda barely gave her a sidelong glance and Renée shortly considered asking the princess if she remembered anything yet.

But she brushed the idea aside. The woman probably needed more time.

Suddenly, Renée wondered if a week would be long enough for her and Link to recall anything. After all, that was all they had before things started moving again.

Concern lining her features, Renée averted her eyes from the twilight to look at the princess, and then diverted them to the sky once more.

* * *

"…And this is the sparring area." Mekial gestured to the large terrace beyond the doorway with a sweep of his arm. "Well, it's pretty much just _another_ balcony. But Brent and Ren claimed this one for sparring."

"This place has a lot of balconies," Link observed quietly.

"Yep." Mekial dropped his arm. "Probably because every balcony has floating platforms that lead to a different isle. I think I've probably been everywhere…me and my curiosity, you know." When Link did not react, Mekial started to realize that the Hylian would not get any of his jokes in his present condition. It would be useless to be humorous right now.

Link's head turned to the side, directing his attention to something further down the darkened corridor. Mekial moved so as to get a better view, and as the lone being came into better focus, his face fell.

"…Renée," Link spoke up.

"Katrina," Mekial corrected half-heartedly.

"Oh. Katrina."

By now the Corvenian was barely a few meters away. She slowed to a halt, and it was then Mekial noticed that her bow and quiver were strapped to her back.

"Why the weapons?" the mage asked, eyeing the ends of the arrows that stuck out of her quiver. "Are we leaving or are you just as suspicious of us as you were of Morbex?"

"…Target practice," the girl responded after giving Link a brief, scrutinizing look. "There are some kargorok-like things a few miles out."

Mekial's eye twitched. Usually a comment like hers would get an agitated response, yet her face was as cold as ever. He chose to let it slide. "Sure you haven't killed them all by now?"

Katrina slid him a firm scowl before she marched forward, trooping between he and Link as she pushed her way out onto the platform.

Mekial held his ground but Katrina still blew past him. He frowned intensely but again granted her mercy.

Katrina had always been the quietest, but there was something else about her that gave her an unnatural edge. He presumed it had something to do with the Isle Massacre and yet there was something else behind it. Something that Mekial could not clearly put his finger on. Perhaps he never would be able to; the Corvenian seemed to like her space, after all.

Mekial disliked her, but as he pondered her behavior and what she had gone through before their quest, he could sympathize with her.

He turned his eyes away and looked up at Link, who had also taken to watching the archer as she readied her bow. But he was not entirely focused upon her, as though his mind had once again wandered elsewhere.

Mekial had to admit that it was disturbing to see Link so absentminded – he wondered if he would ever return to himself, or if the Fairy that Elam had spoken of could really help him.

Suddenly, Link spoke. "She…doesn't like me."

Mekial sighed. "Don't take it personally."

"No…" Link didn't look at him. "She…" he frowned, "…tried to kill me. Once. Or…twice."

"Oh, what, the killer-glare?" When Link didn't answer, Mekial scratched the back of his head, reminding himself that those sort of remarks didn't work on Link. He looked over to Katrina and no sooner had his eyes found her did an arrow soar from her bowstring, zipping through the sky and shooting a distant, flying creature right out of the air.

Mekial's brow pursed worriedly. Now that he thought about it, given everything he had gone through in his short life, he could have wound up just like Katrina.

He turned his eyes away and though he did not fix them on Link's face, he still voiced a response to the man's earlier concern. "Ever since she found out you're not who she thought you were, she's treated you differently…with less hatred." He had taken a breath before those last three words, as though he had been searching for the right description to use.

"But…" Link's eyebrows drew together in a small frown. "I'm Link. Who else would I be?"

Mekial heaved a sigh. That comment gave him some mixed feelings. "At least you have a sense of identity," he said optimistically. "It's because she thought you massacred her family."

Astonishment glinted in Link's ghostly gaze. "Why would I do that?"

Mekial shook his head. "You wouldn't. That's why she stopped hating you; because she found out you were innocent."

"So…who murdered her family?"

Mekial racked his brains for a quick second. "Uh, Tentra. I think that was his name. Morbex told us that he disguised himself as you before he did it." Upon meeting Link's eyes again he flinched; something in his stare had hardened. "You okay…?"

All at once the look washed off of Link's countenance, taking his indignation with it. His eyes rolled back to Katrina. "Her whole family is gone."

"…Yeah." Mekial's eyes became unfocused, his mind dragging him back to the day he had first learned that his own parents had died. Renée had returned from the crowd at the Peluman harbor, her face awash with tears as she tried to relay the news to her nine-year-old brother, who had been watching from the edge of the marketplace with his eyes full of fear.

_"Th-they said it was a really bad storm," _the thirteen-year-old had sobbed, struggling to wipe away the water flooding her face. _"They…they can't even f-find…"_

Renée had become all the family Mekial had left, and he was lucky for that. It had kept his heart alive. But Katrina…

Katrina had no one.

"…Katrina!" His voice made her stiffen and she lowered her bow to look back at him. Silently, she watched as he jogged over to her. "I challenge you to a contest!"

Katrina regarded him with a blank look.

"Let's see who can hit five of those flying things first!" he rushed on, fighting back his unease. "Ready? On three!"

"Can your magic even reach that far?" the girl interrupted.

Mekial flashed a grin. "Don't underestimate your opponent. Isn't that one of those unwritten rules of competition or something?"

Something like amusement flitted its way across the girl's visage. "It'd just be a shame if you knowingly walked into a losing game."

"Hmph. Challenge accepted!"

It was difficult to tell what she thought of that so Mekial averted his eyes and turned them in Link's direction. "Link, you're gonna be the referee!" As he refaced the balcony railing Katrina readied a new arrow in his side vision.

"Prepare to lose," she warned.

Right before Mekial could make a retort Link tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and looked up into his empty face. "Mekial?" he asked softly. "What's a 'referee'?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"…It would seem that they've lost everything and anything that happened while their Triforce pieces were awakened within them," Midna's palace administrator, Riven, explained to her in her chambers. They were in one of the outer rooms, with the princess seated on a chair propped up against the wall while Riven stood on the dark rug in the room's center.

Midna rubbed her forehead, her eyes jumping up to the stack of papers that Riven held in his long, blue hands. "So when their Triforce pieces were extracted, the things took every memory related to them and then some," she concluded.

Her servant nodded gravely.

"So they have no memories of, well, anything that's happened within the past few months. For Zelda, probably her entire _life_." Riven nodded again and Midna sat back irritably. "That's just great! Even if we briefed them on everything, they wouldn't actually remember any of it, would they?"

"Elam does not think so, Your Highness." Riven shook his head. "It may trigger a few things, but not a full-out recovery. He stands by the idea that the Regeneration Fairy is their only hope."

Midna pressed her lips together before voicing her next question. "Did Elam find anything else out about that Fairy? Like where those…dogwood trees are?"

Riven poked through the packet that he held and upon finding the page he was looking for, he brought it to the top of the pile. "There is a road off of…'Eldin Bridge' that goes into Hyrule's northern province," he started, paraphrasing Elam's notes. "At the end of that road are a cluster of mountains. Elam's belief is that the dogwood trees are somewhere in those mountains."

"Somewhere _in_?" Midna echoed. "Like the mountains close them in or something?"

Riven suddenly looked unsure of himself. "Yes, Your Highness. Though where exactly is uncertain." He peeked at the papers in his hand. "Hyrule's mountains have been known to be quite…'difficult'."

Midna bristled. "I told him I needed an _exact_ location," she said quietly, her eyebrows knitting into a frown. "I don't trust the Grell enough to use it to transport myself to the location of a – possibly – nonexistent _tree_. If Zelda or Link tries to use it, they'll probably end up in scattered pieces!" Her voice was rising and she shook her head exasperatedly. "Elam should know that! If he's off about the trees' location, he could cause an even bigger problem than the one we already have to deal with!"

Riven hesitated momentarily before parting his lips to speak. "Elam said that he would bet –"

"Bet his life on it, I know, I know." Midna waved a hand. "But I've got a really bad feeling." She slumped in her seat a little, toying with the ends of her bright, orange hair.

A couple of silent minutes passed, broken only by the sound of ruffling paper as Riven sifted through his packet. As his eyes followed along with a few more lines of Elam's notes the princess spoke once more, drawing his focus. "If that's all Elam can give us, then I'm not sending Link and Zelda in there alone, especially if they're as forgetful as he said," she declared, her eyes narrowing at nothing. "…I'll go with them."

Riven started. "B-but Your Highness," he blurted out, "there are Shadows out – and Hyrule is the darkest country right now –"

"What, so you want me to tuck tail and hide while I send my friends out into harm's way?" Midna pinned the administrator with hard, crimson eyes. "I'm sorry, Riven. But that's not healthy thinking."

Riven spluttered for a reply. He could not just let Midna walk into danger; the Twilight Realm would collapse without her. "Shadows are weak to light, aren't they?" he finally managed. Midna avoided his pleading eyes. "Twili do not specialize in light magic, Princess Midna. But perhaps that boy, Mekial, could –"

"He's a child. That's not right."

Riven faltered. He never was able to tell the ages of humans – he had assumed the mage was just short.

Nevertheless his shoulders sagged despairingly. "Princess Midna, I implore you – do not go with them. What would your people do if something were to happen to you?"

Midna still did not make eye contact, instead staring off to the side as she absorbed Riven's truthful words. "Would it make you feel better if I used the Grell and got us all out of there at the first sign of danger?" she inquired after a moment.

"With all due respect, Princess," Riven lowered the stack of papers to his side. "I would feel better if you did not go at all."

Midna let out a long breath, dropping her hair from her fingertips. As she straightened her posture she fixed her eyes on the administrator.

Although restoring Link and Zelda was not the first thing on their priority list, she was well aware that they would need to deal with it soon. As such, she figured she would rather figure out the details now so that she did not have to worry about it later.

"…I'll take Link and Zelda and two of the humans partway through the mountains with the Grell," she decided firmly. "Once the regeneration process is complete they can return to where I dropped them off and Zelda can light a signal. I'll go and get them after that." Midna could see some of the tension rise off of the administrator, but he still appeared nervous. "I'll take a couple of guards with me, just as I did with the Mirror Chamber. And I won't stay in the open."

That seemed to work; Riven's muscles unclenched and he released a quiet sigh.

At this, Midna's face softened a little. "Thank you for your concern Riven." When he met her eyes she smiled gratefully. "I appreciate it."

He bowed cordially, mentally celebrating his victory. "Of course, Your Highness."

* * *

Just like Midna said, the week seemed to fly by.

Throughout it the foreigners did their best to help Link and Zelda remember anything and everything that related to their present circumstances. Mekial was often found with Link and only had a few run-ins with Zelda, but for the most part he left her in the care of his sister and the prime minister.

Brent barely took long in concocting a strategy at winning Kakariko Village and moved on to try and help Mekial with Link. Sometimes he switched to check up on how the girls were faring with the princess, and with a sinking heart found that their situation proved to be no better than theirs.

Besides Link and Zelda's similar cases of amnesia they both had a consistent habit of zoning out partway through conversations. Throughout the passing days they would drift in and out of discussions or even subconsciously ignore someone whenever they tried to speak to them. It was nerve-racking for all of them, and when Midna informed them of how they would go about taking the two to see the Fairy of Regeneration, they could do nothing but put their hopes in that.

It had to be the day before their departure when Dijonay wandered into Zelda's room, where Renée and Brent were talking to her. The princess did not appear to be doing any better or any worse, and her dark blue eyes crawled from Brent to René, following whoever was speaking. Even so, she was the first to notice Dijonay's arrival.

"…Dijonay," she said quietly as the girl entered, closing the door behind her. Zelda studied her carefully, forcing her thoughts to gather all of the information she had been taught pertaining to the young noble. "The Prime Minister of the Arkanian Province in the Arkanian Empire. You can see the future…" As the woman spoke, Dijonay crossed the room to stand near where Renée was sitting. "Mekial is your…bodyguard."

Dijonay beamed. "You remember?"

"…Yes…" Zelda nodded. "You told me…yesterday."

Dijonay did not let her hope falter. "Well, it is good that you are able to remember what we have told you. If you keep this up, you will recover your memories in no time at all!" She smiled brightly, though Zelda returned it with a sad expression.

"You can see the future," she said again, slowly.

"Yes."

"Can you see…my future?" Even as Zelda asked there came a sudden protest within her, as if there was a part of her that despised the idea of a seer looking into her life. She pushed it down.

Dijonay froze and looked at Renée and Brent before turning her eyes back to the princess.

"Can you tell me…if I will remember anything?" the Hylian ruler elaborated sorrowfully. "I do not want to be like this all the time." Her eyes tightened and her misery deepened. "I dislike it."

Renée watched the princess, her own eyes shining with worry. Brent's eyes constricted as well, though he said nothing.

Dijonay studied the princess for a moment, her face a blend of concern, sadness and optimism. "You will regain your memories, Your Highness," she said finally and the dark shadows that haunted Zelda's pale face began to lift. "But not because I See it." Dijonay's mixed emotions solidified into assurance. "Because I believe it."

It was hard to tell if her words had sparked anything in the princess's heart, but even still, Dijonay smiled. "I do not believe you should focus on it too much," she continued. "Take things slowly for now. You will be taken to someone that can help you fairly soon. But until then, we all will keep helping you."

"Yeah." Renée bobbed her chin. "Count on it."

"Don't worry too much," Brent put in. "Like she said; take it slow."

Zelda nodded vaguely and felt something warm spread through her chest.

These people were willing to help her. They were on her side. And Zelda was glad for it; but the muscles around her mouth did not form a smile. Or perhaps they could not remember how to.

So she forced her appreciation out in the only way she knew how. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I am…very grateful."

Renée smiled without showing her teeth. "You're welcome." Then, clapping her hands to her knees she got out of the chair. "Well… I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry, so I'm gonna grab something to eat. Princess, are you hungry?"

Zelda looked down and patted her stomach. "It feels…empty."

Renée kept a blank smile plastered to her face. "Then you're probably hungry. C'mon – the palace has some great snacks!" As she walked over to the door she rounded to face Brent and Dijonay, causing her to approach the room's exit backwards. "You guys coming?"

Dijonay threw a furtive glance at Brent, her once calm thoughts whirring crazily. "I-I…I will be there. In a few minutes. I would…I would like to talk to Brent."

"Oh…" Renée stopped with her hand on the door handle as her eyes jumped between the two. "Okay…" Frowning she caught Brent's eye briefly, but he looked just about as clueless as she felt. Tossing her eyes over to Dijonay, she pulled the door open. "Well…guess I'll see you later then."

Dijonay only nodded as Zelda stepped out after her, and as the door swung shut she whirled around to face Brent, who was watching her expectantly.

Immediately her heart began to pound and without her knowing it her hands tumbled to the hem of her dress where they toyed with the fabric. Perhaps she had done the wrong thing.

This was awkward. Forcing a conversation on him like it was an interrogation was the wrong way to go about getting to know him better. What was she thinking?

Her eyes dropped to the floor and inched into a corner. She suddenly felt terribly foolish. "I…um…"

Brent's eyebrows drew together, wrinkling the skin between them. But when he saw that Dijonay had lost the desire to speak, he did it instead, "Are you…okay?"

"Un…" Dijonay shoved her dress out of her hands and laced her fingers behind her back. She had to start somewhere, before he thought she was strange or something. Unless he was already thinking that. "I…I wanted to…to apologize."

Brent gave her a perplexed look. "What for?"

"Because this whole time…" Dijonay's eyes repeatedly jumped from his face to her shoes. "This whole time…I have been treating you unfairly." She felt herself shrinking. "I…I have unfairly judged you. And I would…I would like it if we could start over. If…if not as family then…as friends. O-or acquaintances," she threw out upon spotting Brent's rising surprise.

Silence was all that answered her and when Dijonay chanced another peek at him, she found that he was looking away, his face shaded in deep thought. Her heart began to hammer so loudly that for a horrifying moment she believed he could hear it.

"I…I do not blame you at all, if you hate me," she spurted. "A-after all, throughout all of this…we have merely been…engaged in a deal. And…father was…mm…" She stopped and pulled her hands in front of her. Resisting the urge to wrap them in her dress, she held them together.

Then to her surprise, Brent laughed – but it was a small one, flowing with sarcasm. She met his eyes once more. "We have a funny relationship for siblings, huh?"

Dijonay's heart almost stopped. "Y-you…you think of us as…as siblings?"

"Well, we had the same parents." The side of his lips pulled up as he shrugged. "Can't really…deny that, y'know?"

Dijonay felt herself deflate a little. "Y-yes…of course."

Silence hugged close to them again, covering Dijonay's mouth with the palm of its hand as Brent scratched the back of his head.

"Is that all you wanted to ask?"

"N-no." Relocating her voice Dijonay clung to it, feeding her thoughts into it before her fear could choke it off again. "I-I want…I want to know and remember everything about you. Like a sister can be close to her brother. I hope that we may be like Mekial and Renée one day…because we are all that we have left." She smiled shakily. "Y-y'know?"

Brent's eyes lingered on her wordlessly. Perhaps their father had not completely corrupted her after all.

Dijonay was an entirely different person, he told himself. She had not been the one to force him into small closets whenever company came. She had not been the one to mistreat him as he wandered the back roads of Revale as a child. Instead, she had always been hesitant and uncertain around him.

But now it seemed like she had finally decided to take things into her own hands. And with a small, gentle smile, he respected that. He folded his arms.

"Well," he started darkly and Dijonay watched him, awaiting his acceptance or his rejection. "I'm expensive company." His face was stoic as he looked at her. "You'll have to pay me a hundred Arkans a day. Plus twenty for every question. In fact" – he shook his head and held out a hand –"I'll take what you've got right now."

Dijonay stared, wide-eyed and horrified. "What…?"

But then Brent's face cracked into a handsome smile and he laughed, dropping his hand. "I'm kidding!"

"O-oh…" Dijonay felt her chest ease as Brent laughed, but then he suddenly became serious.

"Two hundred a day."

"Wh-what?"

He laughed again. "First thing you should know," he said, flipping his index finger into the air. "I kid around a lot. Ren can vouch for me; she's probably my number one victim. Scratch that – she is."

He smiled again and with her heart fluttering, Dijonay returned it. Maybe this hadn't been a bad idea after all.

Maybe if she kept this up, she could restore what they had lost over the years.

* * *

"Well. Today's the day." Midna stood with her hands on her hips as she watched the humans approach her. Standing near the edge of the Palace isle, by the bluff that jutted out into the twilight, she was flanked by two Twili guards, both of them at least two heads taller than she was.

Their red eyes observed the humans mystically, though they shared no secrets on their thoughts. When the humans came to a halt before them, Midna's eyes quickly found Brent. "Have you come up with anything yet?"

Much to her relief, he nodded. "Yeah; but I'd like to wait until we've joined up with the soldiers before I explain it."

"Fair enough." Midna shrugged one shoulder before projecting her voice to all of them. "Since we're traveling from one dimension to another with so many people, the Grell will sap a lot of our strength. Right now it should still be early over in your world, so hopefully we'll get to take a little breather before we have to jump into action." She lifted her wrist to reveal the golden bracelet containing the transporter, but then stopped. "Oh, right: and the portals get really windy. Do your best to hold your footing."

She looked directly at Link and Zelda when she said that, her eyes grave but very solemn. They showed no reaction to her warning, but she trusted that they had heard her.

As she extended her arm to the cliff the surface of the Grell began to flash and flicker. Then with a sudden _snap _and a series of crackling pops a bolt of blue light shot out of it, zigzagging and darting forth until it caught onto the air.

The flashing lights brightened as the Grell's Hand proceeded to tear through the fabric of space, prying it apart until a whirling, blue portal hovered in front of them. Gales erupted almost as soon as the gateway was visible, charging into the company to mangle their hair and flap through their clothes.

Midna vanished into the portal first, her robes flapping wildly and her red eyes narrowed against the light and winds that emanated from within. Behind her, her guards stared hard at the humans, silently urging them to go in next.

After steeling themselves they did, filing in one by one and disappearing into the warp hole. The only ones that lingered were Link and Zelda.

The princess stared at the portal nervously, her mind spinning. There was something about the gate that frightened her, but not so much because of what it was. More so because she had seen someone else use it. Someone…menacing.

But who had that person been?

She clawed through her depleted memories, desperately hoping to unlock the mystery behind the strange emotions that flooded her. But as always, she could not figure it out.

A hand appeared in front of her.

Zelda looked down at it and then followed the arm it was attached to, her eyes leaping from the shoulder to Link's face.

The way the light caught his eyes gave him a sense of liveliness that had been absent before, and for some reason that triggered something in the back of Zelda's mind.

He had offered his hand to her like this before. Once.

Or…twice?

Either way her anxiety began to melt when she placed her hand in his. His grip was…comforting, somehow.

In silence he walked with her towards the spinning portal and stepped inside, gently pulling her along with him. The Twili guards slipped in after them and as soon as they did the doorway zipped shut.

Not even a breeze remained.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Even the air felt as dark and threatening as the black sky.

Chilled winds whispered across the plains and black figures flapped through the heavens, their dim forms distinguished by their wings that rose and fell against the freezing, late spring gusts.

One of the creatures cawed loudly, the rattling cry echoing back at it in the darkness until the gurgled shouts of a team of bokoblins rose up, cackles climbing out of their rail-thin necks as they marched over the dead grass and hard soil far below.

Then a great _crack_, like a whip cracking against a steel wall rang out, startling the monsters so that they scampered to hide in distant shadows. Another _snap_ followed, tailed by an ear-splitting _crack _that brought with it flashes of white and blue light that streaked through the air like heavenly lightning.

The entire world seemed to light up with the instant illuminations, with the faces of nearby boulders flickering and the blades of crisp grass bowing beneath the force of the heavy gales that followed.

The gusts strengthened to near hurricane force, blowing across the field to send waves rolling through the grass and soil spiraling into the air. The lightning became more frequent and with an angry chorus of snaps and sparks, a white, jagged line zigzagged through the air and parted, revealing a whirling, cerulean portal.

Midna walked out first, her bare feet crunching over the rough soil as her red eyes revolved to the darkened skies. Her gaze was unreadable and behind her Mekial tumbled out before collapsing to his knees.

"Ugh…" he gasped, bowing his head and pressing his hands into the ground. As he spoke Brent staggered out after him, followed by a stumbling Katrina and Renée.

Midna turned to observe the panting mage, her eyes falling to him just as Dijonay clambered out of the portal with Link and Zelda in tow. Her guards followed soon after. "Told you it'd get pretty rough in there," she said; at the same time, the portal whistled shut, sealing them in the dark realm.

"Yeah, but…" Mekial struggled to lift his head and look at her, "I feel terrible…"

"The Grell uses the strength of magic-wielders more when it transports people across dimensions," Midna explained with a half-shrug.

"Then how come you're okay?"

"Because I'm simply awesome."

Mekial dropped his face with a groan.

"Where are we?" Renée took a couple of steps forward, her boots crunching through the grass like it was a pile of dead leaves. "It's _really _dark!"

"We're in Hyrule," Midna replied solemnly. Then, with failing sarcasm she added, "Welcome home."

"_Seriously?_" Brent rounded on her, his eyes wide. "What part of Hyrule is this?"

"Well, judging by the mountains out there…" Midna pointed over to the faded silhouettes of a mountain range behind him; it was difficult to tell if they looked that way due to their distance or the dimness, "we're north of Kakariko Village."

"It is too dark here," Dijonay announced despairingly, her eyes roving about the shadowed plains. A small wind blew and she shivered as waves of goose bumps surged across her skin. "This…this _cannot_ be Hyrule."

"But…" Renée was standing off to the side of the group, her back turned to them as she peered at something far-off, "I think I see the castle over there." She straightened up. "Jeez…"

Zelda examined her surroundings stoically, her eyebrows creased with a sadness that she was not sure was really hers. The sight of this place made sorrow well up within her for some reason, but it was not the sympathetic kind. What would one call it?

_Mourning…?_

Something twitched in her hand and Zelda's eyes flew to the left, where she saw a similar, estranged grief in Link's stare. Her gaze dropped to her palm.

They were still holding hands.

Her heart jumped for some reason and she quickly withdrew, yanking her hand to her chest and averting her eyes.

Link didn't seem to notice.

Renée pivoted to face Midna. "You weren't kidding when you said it was as dark as the Twilight Realm."

Folding her arms against the cold, Midna caught the girl's eye. "I never kid."

Renée glanced away for a split second. "Well, any idea what time it is?" She felt her stomach drop when she saw the rare, troubled look that crossed the princess' face.

"Honestly, it's difficult to tell over here," Midna answered regretfully. "But I'd say that it's around the same time we left the Twilight Realm so, I don't know…eleven in the morning?"

"Where are the soldiers supposed to meet us?" Brent asked.

"Here." Midna's response was short and confident. "They should be here soon, coming from the Eldin Bridge."

"Which way's that?"

"Further north."

Brent's eyes wheeled over to Zelda, as did everyone else's.

"You remember?" Dijonay asked, hope lining her voice as she leaned towards the princess to better see her face.

"No…" Zelda furrowed her eyebrows quizzically as she stared off at nothing. "I just…know it somehow."

No one uttered a response to this, but rather regarded her with surprise or optimism, glad that even if it was not entirely conscious, the princess was at least regaining some form of her true self.

Dijonay's gaze climbed over to Link's face, as though expecting him to blurt out a recollection next; but his face remained grim and his lips did not part. Her shoulders slackened at this but she fought the urge to lose hope for him.

"Say Brent, will this be okay for your plan when we go to the village?" Renée asked, making a circling gesture at the sky.

"…It's a bit iffy," Brent answered honestly. "I'd planned for dark cover, but I had no idea it'd be _this_ dark. I mean, this is like…_Mamo-_dark. And that's _dark_."

Renée could see the smile on his face as he emphasized the last word and failed at holding back her own at the reference to the dark-skinned, Arkanian politician.

Having regained his strength, Mekial stood up with a breathless laugh. "That's messed up."

"But regardless, we'll have to work with it," Brent added with a half-shrug. "Can't really do much about it."

"If you say so…" Renée trembled and released a soft sneeze, and suddenly wished she still had the coat she had worn to Snowpeak. With such frigid air, it was difficult to believe that the present season was spring. "Midna," she called, and the ruler's blue-skinned face turned to her, "you said every country's like this?"

"Every country under Prince Malbex's rule, yes," Midna confirmed. "Depressing, isn't it? This is even worse than when Zant tried to take over."

At the mention of the deceased Twili Renée sent her eyes to Link. Like other things that ignited something in his hazy mind, the name of his old nemesis sent a brief flicker through his dark eyes.

But as soon as it had appeared, it vanished.

"I'm going to go on ahead to see how far we are from the village," Brent announced, moving to step away.

"That's a bad idea," Midna called flatly before he could even lift his foot. "It's better to stay together. There are Shadows out, remember?"

"Oh. Right…" Brent repositioned himself near the others, frowning. "Then we just sit around and wait?"

"Yes." Midna shivered against the cold and her soldiers inched closer to her, granting her a bit more warmth. "We wait."

Brent averted his eyes, sending them towards the grasslands and following the landscape to where it receded into the dark of day. With their sight being so limited, he couldn't imagine how they would manage to fend off even one Shadow if one were to decide to sneak up on them.

"Mekial." His eyes shifted to the side until he perceived Mekial's dim form a few feet away. "Think you can give us some light? Or a fire?"

"Hey, there's an idea," Midna exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she looked over at Mekial. "Can't you? So we don't have to wait around in the cold?"

"Won't we attract Shadows?" the boy reminded her monotonously.

"Well, you can use light to fend them off, right?" It sounded like both a question and a statement, and as Midna uttered those words her Twili guards turned their bright eyes towards Mekial, as if to threaten him into obedience.

The boy returned their hard stares with a deep frown of his own before he dropped his eyes back to Midna. "…Fine."

The flame that he conjured wasn't big, but it was decently sized so that it at least managed to keep them warm so long as they stood near it. As they gathered around Mekial kept his attention fixated on the farthest reaches of the orange light, his cloak pushed back over his shoulders in preparation of an ambush. Beside him Renée joined in the act, one hand on her sword hilt as her gaze panned across the blanket of darkness.

"I do not like this," Dijonay piped up a moment later, her vocals slicing through the quiet sound of the crackling fire. She watched the surrounding gloom anxiously. "It is like…something is going to jump out at us."

"Just stay alert," Renée advised her, her face grave. "Hopefully we'll get moving soon."

"You think the soldiers are all right?" Katrina inquired quietly from her position on the other side of the fire. The way the flames cast flickering shadows across her face made her look menacing, as if she were about to tell a ghost story at an innocent campfire. "Wonder how they'd make it all the way down here, with everything as dangerous as it is."

Renée stiffened, suddenly preparing herself for the possibility that the soldiers might never show up. "I…hope so."

Dijonay said nothing, her face falling as she lowered crestfallen eyes to the fire. With another tingle running up her spine, she shivered.

Mekial observed each of their grim, troubled expressions, his eyebrows puckering and he threw Katrina a fleeting glower that she barely noticed. "I think they're okay," he piped up, hoping his optimism would wipe away their concern. "They're generals aren't they?" He stopped. "…Well. Except Ashy."

Renée smiled uncertainly. "You mean Ashei?"

"Oh!" Mekial laughed at himself. "Yeah, her."

"I wonder how she wound up with them," the girl pondered aloud, turning her attention back to the perimeter.

"She said she knows Brent, right?" Mekial chanced a look at the blue-haired Hylian, who had been gazing into the fire sightlessly. At the mention of his name he looked up at the bodyguard. "How do you know her?"

"…We met when she came to Arkania," Brent replied. "She was originally there to search for the shards."

"Oh…"

"Ashei…" Link whispered the name softly.

He remembered that Midna had mentioned the woman before, but it was not until now did the name suddenly remind him of something. Faintly he could envision blinding snowfields and frozen mountainsides, a being with a wool shawl and a cap fashioned into the head of a yeti…

But it was such a surreal image. Had he really seen someone dressed in a yeti-coat or had he dreamt it?

He quickly pushed that last thought away, suddenly remembering what Mekial had said to him whenever he had tried to dismiss any hazy memory as a weird dream.

_"They aren't dreams,"_ the boy had said sternly. _"They really happened; so don't doubt it…"_

Link's eyes glazed over in thought.

_Don't doubt._

Then…the person in the yeti-coat really did exist? He had really met them?

He called the image back up to the surface of his memories, straining to focus on it, to remember every detail.

It had not been a dream, he told himself. It had really happened.

_Ashei._

In his memory the being in the yeti-coat lifted their gauntleted hands to grip the yeti-shaped head covering. Their gloved fingers dug into the white fur and lifted the hood to show their face…

But then his thoughts buzzed.

And just like that, the memory vanished.

"Link?"

Distressed, Link's eyes refocused on the present and moved to lock onto Zelda's face. She was viewing him concernedly.

"Are you…all right?"

"I…" Link studied her face carefully before he removed his focus from her and redirected it to the sputtering fire, "…don't know…"

Zelda's eyebrows arched sadly and without thinking she touched Link's arm, reciting to him the words she remembered Dijonay had repeatedly told her, "Do not worry; everything will be…okay."

She leaned to the side to better see the man's face and catching the motion in his side vision he turned his eyes to her and forced a small, grateful smile.

"Hey." Mekial's spine suddenly straightened as he fixed his eyes on something far-off. "You see that?"

Renée glanced at him and then back to the province. "See what, the darkness?"

"Puh. No, _there_." Mekial pointed at something to their right, towards a certain spot where it looked like the shadows were moving. "Right there."

Renée struggled to see what he was looking at. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"_There_." Mekial pointedly jabbed his finger at the silhouette. "See?"

"I don't…" Renée squinted hard, straining to find what her brother had discovered and after a moment of blindly peering through the darkness she finally identified it: somewhere about a mile or a half a mile ahead there was indeed something moving, but it was so far away that it merely appeared to be a shapeless blob wobbling in their general direction.

"What is it?" she asked, leaning back while keeping her gaze fastened on the odd, shapeless mass.

"I dunno." Mekial shrugged. "Something."

"Your powers of perception are amazing. I'm so impressed."

"What? Like you can't tell what it is either!"

"Can't tell what?" Katrina detached herself from the edge of the fire to stand a little behind them.

"That." Mekial pointed and Katrina followed his finger, quickly pinpointing the shifting outline.

"Probably a pack of bokoblins." Katrina suddenly lost interest.

Renée studied the approaching mass again, attempting to define any features that would act as evidence to Katrina's claim. But it was useless; it was still too far away.

Shortly she considered asking Mekial to send a light out to illuminate the strange creature, but quickly reminded herself that doing so might give their position away to unwanted company.

"If it's just some bokoblins, we can leave 'em alone, right?" She looked at the two beside her. "They're not a real threat, anyway."

"Still, might as well get rid of 'em now."

Renée dropped her eyes to Mekial when he spoke and caught him in her sight soon enough to see him flourish his arms in a wide circle, all the while whispering unfamiliar words under his breath.

In the next instant he thrust his hands forward, releasing a powerful gust of wind that howled towards the incoming blob with windstorm strength. With the force of a cannonball the gust rocketed through the starved grass and hit the formless mass head-on, bowling it over.

_"Aghh!"_

Renée, Mekial and Katrina exchanged wide-eyed looks.

Midna frowned in the direction the male shout had come from. "What was that?"

Renée and Mekial glanced back at her before flicking their eyes to each other again.

"We'll be right back," the elder sibling called and after Mekial threw a ball of light in the air to guide them, the two dashed towards the source of the cry. Katrina fell into step behind them.

No sooner had they cleared away from Mekial's hovering fire did the cold air of the surrounding darkness creep up on them, chilling their skin and causing prickles to run up and down their napes.

Even so the three ignored the frosty bite and plunged through the field until Mekial's orb brushed aside a final black curtain, revealing a small crowd of men. All of them were looking down at one who was lying on the ground, his face screwed up as he rubbed his head of blond hair.

Renée, Mekial and Katrina stopped short and above them the ball of light bobbed to a soundless halt.

"Ugh…" The man on the ground sat up. "What'd I hit…?"

"More like what hit _you_," one of the men around him corrected.

He was older than his fallen comrade, with short dark hair and a beard with a single strip of gray shooting down its center. Despite his age he was in good form, with broad shoulders and a thick sword belted to his side. He offered his hand to the younger man and after the youth had gripped his arm, he hauled him to his feet.

Someone else in the small party pivoted upon noticing the edge of white light stretching towards them. His bearded face followed it to its source before he dropped his dark eyes to the three beneath it.

Mekial's jaw could have hit the ground. "_Captain Regal?!_"

The captain blinked at the sound of his title and stepped forward to get a better view of the child that had addressed him. His countenance soon mirrored the boy's. "_Mekial?_"

"Who?" The blond-haired man that had been knocked over by Mekial's spell looked up, dropping his hand from his head as he spotted the unfamiliar faces. Garbed in a tunic and pants it was easy to tell that he was fairly built, and judging by the sword that hung from his belt his frame had been molded by combat and fierce training. "You know these guys, Regal?"

"Show respect for your elders, Bourke," grumbled a graying man. Unlike the first few that Renée, Mekial and Katrina had noticed, this male's form had aged over the years, though his posture was still proud and strong.

He eyed the blond man sourly and the foreigners presumed he was speaking of how the younger man, Bourke, had not addressed Regal by his title.

The youth looked at the scowling man in his peripheral vision. "Sorry, Graybeard."

"Blast it, Bourke –!"

"Mekial," Regal interrupted, taking another step forward so that he was in full strength of the light. He looked a little older than when they had last seen him, with wrinkles having formed around his eyes and a slight sag in the skin on his face. Still, there was no mistaking his identity. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"We're with…" Mekial began but then he shook his head. "No, wait, what're _you_ doing here? Out in the _dark_? Don't you know it's dangerous?"

"I could say the same to you," Regal returned calmly, and as he spoke his next words he stepped aside as an implication to the small party behind him, "I've joined up with the generals of the Hyrulean army; our last torch went out just a few minutes ago, right when we spotted that campfire over there." He pointed to Mekial's distant flame. "That your fire?"

"That's ours," Renée answered, glancing back at what he had gestured to.

"Then I hope you don't mind us joining you? We've actually come here to meet someone."

Renée's eyes scanned over the soldiers' faces before she dropped her attention to her brother. "You sure gave them a warm welcome, didn't you Mekial?"

"What? Like you didn't think they were bokoblins too!"

"You're here for Princess Midna, right?" Katrina spoke up, stepping forward to gain the captain's attention. At the mention of the Twili's name the captain fixed her with scrutinizing eyes.

"You know her?"

"She's with us," Katrina informed him. "Link and Princess Zelda are, too."

With the utterance of Princess Zelda's name something changed in the men's eyes and the captain regarded the Corvenian carefully. "The princess is safe?"

Katrina shrugged, which did little to absolve the soldiers of their concern. "More or less."

"Where is she?" one of the other soldiers demanded.

"This way." Katrina inclined her head to the way she had come, towards the faint glow of Mekial's fire. Without another word she turned to face that direction and began the trek back. Renée and Mekial did the same and behind them the soldiers eagerly moved to follow, excited yet anxious to see their princess once more.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"How is the princess faring?" one of the soldiers asked Renée only a few steps into their walk.

Upon peeking up at him, the girl saw that it was the soldier with a gray streak in his facial hair. She released a quiet sigh and averted her eyes. "She could be better."

The general's eyes widened shortly. "Is she all right?"

The girl caught his panicked expression and paused to figure out her next words. "…She's all right, but…she's got a kind of amnesiac condition."

"Amnesiac…?"

"Yes." Renée avoided his eyes. "We'll explain when we get there."

To this the soldier finally ceased his inquiries and fixed his eyes on the dark path ahead, holding in any horrible assumptions until he could see the princess for himself.

At the sound of clanking metal and more than three pairs of footsteps, Brent, Link and Zelda turned towards their blackened surroundings. Only a couple of seconds after they had raised their eyes their comrades emerged from the gaping darkness, leading the squadron of military men behind them.

At their arrival Midna released a cheer. "You guys made it in one piece!"

"Princess Midna." The soldier that had interrogated Renée seconds earlier bowed slightly.

Behind him Bourke started to bow as well, only to have his eyes hitch onto the orange orbs of sight belonging to the princess' bodyguards. He jumped back with a shout and bumped into the elderly man that had scolded him earlier, and the senior gave him a very unimpressed look before shoving him away.

"What the –" Bourke cursed, "– are those?!"

Midna followed his stare and instantly understood his fright. "Oh. They're my bodyguards." She refaced him. "It's okay. They're harmless."

"My a–!" Bourke swore audibly.

"Bourke you're a Hyrulean general for Din's sake, pull yourself together!" his senior officer thundered, but not even he could keep his voice even enough to hide his own anxiety at the Twili guards' appearance.

"How do you expect me to react, Graybeard? D'you even remember how many of those Demonics we ran into on our way down here?!"

"Of course I do! But that isn't reason enough to throw your composure to the wind!"

"Those things are freaking ten feet tall!" Bourke argued, pointing up at the dark creatures' skyscraping forms. The campfire's glow managed to illuminate the spit flying from his mouth in his excitement. "They even glow in the dark! If Princess Midna hadn't said anything, I would've hacked their heads off already!"

"Then we should be glad she said something," the soldier that had first greeted Midna concluded calmly. "Ease yourself, Bourke."

The blond officer dropped his hand defeatedly before turning to face the group. As he did, Midna spoke up next. "Well, you've all made a nice entrance. Why not introduce yourselves to your princess next?"

Zelda's eyes flickered at this as something in the back of her recent recollections informed her that she, like Midna, was a princess. The princess of this realm.

The princess of these soldiers.

She looked towards them expectantly, her blue eyes softened into such a child-like innocence that it was difficult to believe that she was the same strong-willed and wise young woman that the soldiers remembered. As such they gaped at her for a moment, caught off guard by the strange presence that she now commanded.

"Your Highness…" Regal found his voice first and he lowered himself to one knee with his head bowed in obeisance. The generals did the same. "It relieves me so to see you alive and well after all this time."

Zelda nodded sheepishly, a foreign sense of importance overwhelming her. She had seen servants bow to Midna in the same way back in the Twilight Palace. Never had she thought that others would do the same to her.

"We're all relieved, Your Highness," Bourke piped up, raising his head to meet her stark gaze. His eyebrows drew together concernedly. "You probably already guessed, but things have gotten crazy while you were gone."

"Yes…" Zelda regarded him with that same, empty look that she had grown accustomed to bearing throughout the past week. "It is…very dark here."

"…Yeah…pretty dark." Bourke hesitated a moment before getting to his feet and he shifted his gaze towards Midna, who had been observing the princess with a quiet, penitent frown. "Um…" His eyes rotated back to Zelda, who had been watching as the other generals and the captain returned to their full height. "Are you all right, Princess?"

Zelda abruptly gave her attention to Bourke at the inquiry, and her eyes suddenly became clouded with despair. "No."

Bourke started, completely taken aback by her candid reply. When he followed it up with another question his words sounded uncertain, as though he were simultaneously questioning his right to speak his next query, "Uh…what's…wrong?"

"I didn't tell you guys this when we first met up, because I figured it would be a long explanation," Midna said suddenly, drawing Bourke's eyes. "But Prince Malbex extracted the Triforce of Wisdom from Zelda's body." She barely paused at the astonishment that took over the men's otherwise guarded features. "The same with Link." She nodded her head to the Hylian standing at the princess' side. "Because of that, they've lost a lot of their memories. Don't be surprised if they don't remember who you are. And don't be surprised if they come across as absentminded, either. I don't know how far Link's amnesia goes, but Zelda's forgotten pretty much everything."

Bourke's fists clenched angrily. He had heard nothing but mixed feelings about the arising emperor, Malbex. But with this report, he only believed that Malbex was a power-hungry maniac. Why else would he harm Princess Zelda and with such merciless brutality?

"Anyway, it's all going to take a while to explain," Midna continued, pulling Bourke back to the present, "because you all probably don't know much of what Prince Malbex has been up to. These guys, though" – she made a sweeping movement with her arm to indicate the people that had traveled with Link for the past two seasons – "can fill you in on everything. But introductions first, right?"

"Of course." The soldier with the gray-streaked beard faced the outlanders. "I am Yuan Falon, General of the Hyrulean army."

Mekial and Dijonay glanced at one another. Only a couple of times had they ever stood in the presence of a certified army general, and only once before someone with the actual title, "General of the Army". Even still they felt both intimidated and awed by the power such a soldier's company held.

"Zion Bourke," the blonde-haired soldier that Mekial had knocked over spoke up. "Brigadier General."

"Lucas Ison," the old man that Bourke had referred to as "Graybeard" announced. "Major General."

"Markus Alan, Lieutenant General."

"General Alexander Drake."

"Adrian Turk; Second Lieutenant."

"Private Eric Richter."

"Don't forget me!" It was a woman's voice that sounded this time and its owner made her way to the front until she could clearly be seen. Once within full sight of all, she was instantly recognized. "It's Ashei." She caught Brent's eye. "Good to see you're doing well."

"Same to you."

"I brought Auru with me." The woman stepped aside as her accomplice made his way to the front of the group where he bowed his old, tanned face. "We had planned to join up with the Hyrulean soldiers along with Shad and Rusl, other friends of ours," she explained to her blue-haired acquaintance, "but we haven't heard from Rusl since the ambush on Ordon Village, and so we figure he's with the captives in Kakariko. As for Shad, the capital's been put on lockdown. By the time we got word to him about meeting with the soldiers, he couldn't get out."

As she spoke Link had been staring at her silently, his mind wheeling into overdrive as the image of the person in a yeti-coat skipped in his thoughts like a broken record.

Feeling his eyes lingering on her, she met his gaze. "Ah, Link!" Her eyebrows went up in surprise. "So you are here. Good to see you're faring well."

"It is good to see you, Master Link," Auru greeted, nodding to the young Hylian. "I must say, since you're here, getting into Kakariko Village should be easy enough." He smiled proudly, but the look soon faded when Link simply stared at him.

Link knew who this man was.

He _knew _him.

But…

But from _where?_

A faint throb tapped against the side of Link's skull as he battled through his buzzing mind. He knew this man. He _knew _this man…

But the buzzing in his mind became incessant, forcing him to release his hold on the slippery memories. Instantly his body relaxed; outwardly, his puzzled stare lost all emotion.

Midna noticed the life die out of Link's eyes and her heart swelled with sympathy. For his sake as well as Zelda's, she would ensure that the journey to and from the Regeneration Fairy was safe and smooth.

But there were other things that needed attention at the moment.

Placing a hand on her chest she smiled to the soldiers, though the merry sparkle that usually appeared in her eyes to accompany the expression had greatly dimmed. "You already know me. Everyone else you see here has been living in my palace for the past five months." She nodded to Dijonay, who faced the soldiers with confidence.

"I am Dijonay."

Mekial stepped forward. "I'm Mekial."

"Renée."

"Brent."

"Katrina."

"And we all met Link in the Arkanian Empire, across the sea," Renée went on, regaining the soldiers' attention. "We've been traveling with him ever since…"

From there Renée claimed the reins of the explanation, describing how the Triforce of Power had been split and going on to inform the soldiers of how they had intended to find all of the pieces and bring them to the Sages. She also made sure to include the back story for Malbex and Morbex and how Morbex had even sided with them despite being Malbex's younger sibling.

Then with her heart sinking, she found herself reliving the day Malbex had outwitted them. That had been when Link and Zelda had been separated from their Triforce pieces, she concluded, the day that Morbex had betrayed them, and when they had begun their stay in the Twilight Realm.

Brent took authority after she had finished, telling the soldiers of the broad points of their new plan now that they were back in Hyrule: after reclaiming Kakariko Village they would take Link and Zelda to see the Regeneration Fairy in the northern part of the country. Hopefully after that the two would be back to normal, and then they would be able to plan how to end Malbex's reign.

"Since Prince Malbex has the Triforce now," Midna added after Brent had ended his speech, "all of the countries that he's annexed have become as dark as this one. The Triforce mirrors his heart in a sense and projects what it sees onto everything else."

"He's got one black heart then," Bourke grumbled irritably.

"Not necessarily black," Midna corrected. "More so unworthy of being the 'True Ruler' that the Triforce is supposed to be held by. Consider him a usurper."

Bourke scoffed, casting Zelda a look of sympathy bordered by discontent. "Either way."

"Well, first things first." Renée looked over at Brent. "We have to retake Kakariko."

"Right." Brent reached into the pocket of his jacket and withdrew the map of Hyrule that he had taken from Link's belongings. Kneeling down, he spread it out on the ground near the popping fire. Those that could crowded around it.

"First off, how many of you can use a bow? Besides Katrina," he asked, looking up from the weathered parchment.

"I can."

Surprised, Brent looked up at Link. Somehow the campfire better illuminated his soulless eyes.

"You can?"

"I had some lessons from Rusl."

"Rusl?" Brent looked over at Ashei before letting his eyes jump back to Link. "From Ordon?"

"Yeah."

"You remember him?"

Link frowned. "Why wouldn't I remember Rusl?"

"Well…considering the fact that you forgot a bunch of other stuff…"

"Rusl taught me how to use a sword," Link added quietly, summoning up everything he knew about the middle-aged man. "We're both from Ordon Village. He taught me how to use a bow and arrow for hunting – but, only a little. And he's Colin's dad. And –"

"Okay, okay, I believe you!" Brent interrupted, waving a hand.

Renée studied Link with a questioning and thoughtful expression.

"So Link can use a bow," Brent concluded, searching the circle of faces that had yet to respond. "Anyone else?"

"I can." One of the soldiers, dark-haired and green-eyed, whom Brent recalled had introduced himself as Private Richter, held his hand at half-mast.

"So can I," Ashei piped up.

"All right. That's all?" When no one else answered, Brent tipped his head back down to the map. "Then four archers. That should be good enough. Next: how well can you see through any of this?" Throwing his face back up, he made a circling motion with his finger to imply the cloak of darkness.

"Not very," Katrina replied simply, tightening her jacket around her body and folding her arms to better keep it in place. "I may be an archer, but that doesn't mean I have a 'zoom-in' effect built into my eye sockets."

Brent opened his mouth to speak again, but was forced to clamp his mouth shut when Link spoke up first, "Zoom in…"

Brent turned his eyes to the Hylian in time to see him reach into his belt pouch and pull out what looked like a masquerade mask carved to look like the face of a hawk. Link held it out to Katrina.

"I think…you can use this."

"This?" Katrina took the accessory and examined it from every angle. "What is it?"

Link was silent until she made eye contact with him again. "I can't remember."

Katrina's eyebrow twitched beneath her bangs. "Then how exactly is it supposed to help?"

Renée raised a shoulder. "Wear it for what it is?"

Katrina threw her a dark look. "It's a masquerade mask. I don't think anyone's throwing a party nearby."

"Just a suggestion."

Katrina looked back at the hawk mask sourly, her face twisted into a discontented scowl. Finally she flipped it around and adjusted it onto the upper half of her face.

To her surprise the mask was not a simple fashion piece as she had once expected, but based on the tunnel-vision that it gave her it appeared to work more as a special pair of binoculars. Her fingers slipped away from the edges of the contraption and as they did, the fingertips of her left hand brushed against a hidden knob.

Clenching it, she twisted the button a little and let out a sound of awe when the details of the ground increased, as if her eyes had suddenly moved closer to it. She raised her view to the map lying in front of Brent and twisted the knob again, learning that with that small movement she could now see the creases in the used piece of parchment.

"This actually isn't half bad…"

As she spoke she lifted her head and found herself staring at a blown-up view of Brent's nose. Turning the knob backwards, she found that his entire face was having a spasm.

She frowned beneath the mask. "What's so funny?"

"N-nothing," Brent's lips trembled. "It's just…" He bowed his head and then looked up at her again, his twitching face having cracked into an amused grin. "You look ridiculous."

Katrina kept staring at him and Brent burst into shameless laughter.

"Especially in front of this fire," Mekial added, drawing her face towards him. As soon as she faced him he started laughing. "Ha! You look like you're about to dance around and summon spirits!"

Katrina heard snickering from behind her and she whirled around to see Renée laughing audibly, having tried to imagine Katrina performing a ritual dance.

The Corvenian promptly ripped the mask off, her face flaming.

"All right, that aside," Brent began, choking down his laughter, "Kakariko Village is the biggest town in Hyrule besides Castle Town, which means it's likely to have direct contact with the capital – and Alexandria."

With the mention of Malbex's accomplice the group fell silent, their eyes locking onto Brent with anticipation.

"We're gonna have to be careful we don't screw this up," he went on seriously. "All the soldiers that we find will have to be kept within the village so we can monitor them. If we don't, obviously, they'll send a message to the capital."

"So what's your plan?" Renée piped up.

"There are three entrances to the village: here" – he pointed to the north side of the community – "here" – he pointed to the southern gate – "and here." He pointed to where the village connected to Death Mountain trail.

"How's that an entrance?" Bourke frowned, having knelt down to better see the map's details. "It's _inside_ the village."

"Thanks to our old friend Morbex and Princess Midna, we've got a magical transporter that can take us to pretty much anywhere we wanna go."

Bourke raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Then why don't we just use that to go straight to Malbex's palace and end it now?" Ashei asked.

"Because that's reckless." Brent didn't look up from the map.

"No mercy," Renée noted.

"Sorry," Brent laughed sheepishly, realizing what she meant and he turned his eyes up to Ashei. "Malbex may not know we're here, but we don't exactly know where his palace is, or where to transport ourselves to or what we'd be up against. Simply put, we're not prepared for that kinda ambush."

Ashei shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Since we're already at the north entrance, we'll need to send two more groups to the Trail and the south gate," Brent continued, observing everyone else. "There's likely to be guards at each place: we'll send two archers to the north and south entrance, along with a couple of people to be their backup. Also, the north and south entrance are likely to have more guards than the Trail, so our best bet is to have our archers on higher ground so they can shoot them down; the people that go with the archers can then break into the village and work to subdue any other soldiers they come across."

"And the archers on the cliffs will become their backup," Bourke figured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Good plan."

"I doubt the village will be as dark as it is here," Brent went on, "so we shouldn't need to worry about not being able to see. But if any entrance is gonna be dark, it's likely to be the Trail entrance."

"Lotta 'likely's," Mekial observed.

"Yes, it's all likely," Brent replied. "'Cuz it wasn't likely to get any more-than-likely recon for this mission. It's just likely like that, y'know?"

"What about the group that goes to the Trail?" Katrina interrupted. "What if there aren't any guards there like you said?"

"Then that just makes it easier," Brent answered. "While two groups are ambushing the village from the north and south –"

"There'll be a team to infiltrate and catch soldiers off guard from the inside," Bourke finished for him. "Right?"

"Right."

"What else have you got?"

"The north and south groups will be smaller, while everyone else will take the Trail and then split in half to aid the north and south groups. All captured soldiers will be gathered in front of the inn."

"Not bad," Ison mused, examining the map as he imagined how Brent's plan would play out. "All that's left is who's going where."

"For archers, Katrina will go to the northern entrance," Brent said, looking at her.

She nodded.

"I'll take the south," Richter offered.

Brent tipped his chin in acknowledgement.

"What about me?"

Brent looked over at Link. "You can go to the south, too."

"Okay."

"That means I'm headed north," Ashei concluded.

"That's right." Brent met her eyes.

"And our backup?" Katrina inquired.

"For the north gate," Brent started, mentally drawing up the notes he had made to himself when he had first conjured the plan, "Katrina and Ashei will have Renée. Link and Richter will have me…" He paused. "…And let's have the rest of the generals split into their own groups: send two soldiers each to the north and south, and the rest will sneak in by the Trail."

As the soldiers worked to figure out who would be going where, Zelda walked over to Brent's side. "Brent…"

Caught midway through folding the map up, Brent's eyes shot up to her. "Yes?"

"Um…what about me, Dijonay, and Midna?"

"Because you three are nobles, it's best for you all to stay near the back of the action," the Hylian answered, completing the folding of the parchment and rising to his full height. Zelda stepped back so as to better maintain eye contact. "Since Midna's going to have to use the Grell anyway, you and Dijonay can stick with her."

"Fine by me," Midna called, having overheard his words. Before Brent, Zelda quietly nodded her head in obedience.

"I'll go to the Trail then," Mekial spoke up. "Since my name wasn't called."

"That's what I was counting on," Brent told him. "You'll be able to guard Dijonay, just as always."

"Bourke and Drake will go to the north gate," Falon informed the party suddenly, stepping away from his soldiers and gaining every pair of eyes. "Ison and I will go to the south with Richter. That leaves Alan and Turk" – he held a hand out to them – "who will accompany the team going to the Trail."

"Okay." Brent tucked the folded up map into his pocket, knocking it against what felt like a small rock that sat within. Pushing the item aside, he stuffed the map further into his jacket's compartment. "Then it's time to get moving. Can you take the south group over?" he asked Midna, who nodded casually.

Turning her back on the small crowd huddled around Mekial's crackling flame she raised a hand, allowing her sleeve to smoothly slide down her arm, revealing the Grell. A moment of silence ensued, thickened by the soldiers' bated breath, until a heavy _crack _cut through the quiet, making Bourke jolt.

Another _crack _followed, leading to another and another until the air was riddled with crackling snaps and pops. Gentle light fluttered around Midna's bracelet and then with another loud _snap _it solidified, sending sparks of blue lightning dancing out of it.

The streaks of light zigzagged and dazzled, their reflections sparkling in the soldiers' bewildered eyes like fireworks until one bolt clung to an empty spot in the air, twitching and flickering spasmodically.

Then it dragged itself downward, unzipping the air to reveal a rotary portal that tunneled off into infinity. The larger the portal became the stronger the winds coming out of it blew, snuffing out Mekial's fire and leaving them all bathed in a bright blue light.

Midna dropped her arm and refaced the gawking military men. Too dumbfounded to even move all they could do was stare in amazement, until Midna cleared her throat loudly enough for them to hear.

Once she had their attention, she jabbed a thumb at the gateway. "It's not staying open forever."

* * *

**My first update during the school year! :D Brent works his strategic magic again and Bourke is the most immature general on the planet.**

**Bourke: Hey! D:**

**Well, on to the next one~**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

With a quiet, hollow _thunk_, the wooden doors of the window were shut, blocking away the torchlit road of Kakariko Village.

"I can't believe how dark it's gotten," Colin thought aloud, turning away from the window and dropping his hand from the shutters. He walked back towards the center of the village sanctuary, where Talo, Beth and his younger sister Ariel were sitting.

Beth was playing with Ariel, raising the child's wrists and making her dance, which Ariel's loud giggles implied she enjoyed, and Talo was watching, cross-legged with his hands clutching his ankles. But when Colin spoke, he looked over at him.

"I feel like we've been here for months," the blonde child sighed, sagging to the floor.

Ariel's face fell at his solemn expression and her hands slipped out of Beth's grasp. Stretching her arms out to maintain balance, the one-year-old waddled towards her brother and stumbled into his lap.

"Yes, it has gotten very dark." Renado's voice sounded from the bench built into the clay walls, drawing the children's eyes towards him. His daughter, Luda, was sitting beside him, her thick eyebrows furrowed in despair as she watched her father's grim visage. Upon noticing her concern, he forced a placid smile. "But do not fear; this village is still as safe as it has always been. No harm can come to you here."

"But still," Colin piped up offensively, his eyebrows crinkling, "don't you think something's really, _really_ wrong? I mean, at first when we saw the clouds, we all thought it was just some weird storm that was coming…but I can't even keep track of the days anymore."

Renado's brown eyes softened as he viewed the boy. "You have definitely grown in the time you've been away from the village," he praised. "Your intuition is very mature." Then the light in his eyes dimmed and his lighthearted tone faded as he spoke his next words. "…I agree with you." He looked down when Luda placed her hands over his. "In fact, ever since the skies began to darken, I have had your thoughts exactly. Something…is definitely wrong."

"I think most of us got that when we were dragged out of Ordon by the army," Malo pointed out flatly. Standing near the low torch that was placed before the entrance to the cellar, he turned his large, unimpressed eyes to Renado. "Still, I wonder what it is."

"I…I don't want to talk about it."

Malo's eyes, as well as everyone else's, flew over to Beth at her sudden statement. Even with their stares lingering on her back, she bowed her head to avoid eye contact.

"It's too much." She clutched her arms in a protective embrace, and her eyes brimmed with visible fear. "I don't want to think about it."

"Of course." Renado's voice lightened a little, leading Beth to chance a look in his direction. "We don't mean to frighten you. Remember that things have been going well: you're all still safe, and your families are here with you; soldiers are guarding the village, and there are no monsters here to hurt you."

"Except for those black things," Talo muttered and Beth's nails dug into her arms.

The room fell tersely silent, the air weighed down by the idea of the dark creatures that the boy had thoughtlessly dragged into their conversation.

"I think…" Colin dropped his eyes to his sister, who had taken to trying to crawl into a better position in his lap. He smiled at her faintly. "I think…Link will come."

Ariel slipped into his lap, watching him with her round, blue eyes as if waiting for him to explain who this 'Link' person was.

"Just like last time," her brother went on, cradling Ariel with one of his arms.

When he raised his eyes from her, he found that everyone else was staring at him, their expressions ranging from surprise to withered hope.

Talo's eyes shot off to his right. "…Haven't heard from him in a while."

"Or…or Morbex," Beth added glumly.

Talo looked up at that and then drew his eyes away as his mind dredged up the many fond memories that they had shared with the blue-skinned boy back in their village.

"D'you think…" He paused hesitantly, almost wondering if he should complete his thought. "…D'you think that…Morbex'll come, too?"

He looked between Beth and Colin silently, pulling up one side of his lip as he waited for one of them to respond. But when neither of them did he turned away. "N-never mind."

"I want him to come," Beth finally piped up.

"Yeah…" Colin stroked Ariel's hair, the hope that had once shone in his eyes fading behind a veil of contemplation. "Me too." Once more, everyone fell quiet.

"…I'm going over to my store," Malo finally announced, gaining everyone's attention.

"Why?" Talo asked.

"Well, we haven't been here too long I don't think," Malo started, scurrying towards the door, "but I'd like to check up on how sales are coming. It is my job to look after the store, after all."

Talo observed him wordlessly, but when the boy reached the door he shot to his feet and hastened to his side. "I'll come too."

Malo looked at him. "You don't know anything about business management."

"So?!" Talo huffed, offended. "You're my brother; it's _my _job to look after _you_."

"…If you say so."

"Shall I go with you?" Renado inquired, starting to his feet.

"Nah, we're okay." Talo waved a hand. "His store's only two feet away."

Renado sank back to the bench with a soft smile.

"We'll be back," Talo called, twisting the doorknob and hauling the sanctuary door open, inviting a sudden, cold wind. Malo strolled out first and as soon as he cleared the threshold Talo walked out after him, closing the building's gateway behind them.

Despite the darkness of the sky, the village of Kakariko was well-lit by the many torches that lined the main road and stood by the doors of every home. Their firelight crackled and danced in the quiet winds that blew about, and some of them hissed and sizzled as breezes knocked swirling clouds of dust into the air.

The two brothers began their march across the main road towards the original Malo Mart, their shadows splitting into three as they moved and watched the surrounding darkness warily. Malo's overall expression remained in its constant, impassive appearance while behind him Talo's eyes darted about suspiciously, almost curiously.

"There's no guards," he noted softly after a moment, as the two started to follow the road a short ways towards the successful store.

"They're probably at the gates," Malo pointed out.

"Oh…"

Malo turned to walk between two torches and off the road. Talo made to follow, only to stop at a slight movement in his peripheral vision. Flicking his eyes to the side he pinpointed the house that was built into a mountainside near the north end. Two torches were placed on either end of its roof, illuminating the building's flat top and the empty space between them.

Talo had used that exact place as a watchtower the year before, when the bulbin ambush on Ordon had brought him and the other children to Kakariko Village. It had not been until after Link had visited for the first time had he decided to take on the role of being the village's alarm, where he would yell for everyone to take shelter at the first sign of any monsters that had wandered within his sight. It had been a very useful location for such a task.

Soldiers were supposed to be guarding the village now, just as he had been then, he reminded himself. So why was there not a guard in such a perfect location?

"Hey…"

Already at the edge of the road, Malo looked at Talo over his shoulder.

"Isn't there supposed to be a soldier up there?" Talo pointed to the distant building.

Malo followed his indication. "Probably."

"Then why isn't there?"

"I've heard that Hyrule's soldiers aren't always competent."

Talo frowned. "What's that mean?"

"…It means they can be really stupid. That place is a strategic spot for any watch guard to take. I don't know why they wouldn't use it." He continued towards the wooden staircase that led up to Malo Mart.

Talo lingered behind, staring at the vantage point before once again moving to follow his brother. But just as he made to tear his eyes away he stopped. Had it been a trick of the light or had he just seen someone slink in and out of the shadows up there?

"Hey." Having reached the entrance of Malo Mart, its proprietor turned to view his sibling. "Are you coming?"

"What?" Talo's eyes just barely flitted over to his younger brother. "…Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm comin'." The boy took a step towards the shop, his alert stare lingering on the distant watchtower, and then he ripped his attention away and darted into the store.

Once the door of Malo Mart swung shut, sealing away Malo's voice as he spoke to the employee presently working there, the sound of crackling torches once more consumed the area. They snapped and popped dissonantly, spitting sparks at the moths that darted around them as the village returned to its earlier, tranquil state. Shadows shifted and flickered beyond the orange flames, moving and jumping in accordance with the fires' bursts of energy.

But on the roof of Talo's old watchtower one shadow moved independently, inching forward before it crouched low to the earth and stared out over the village. Barely did the being's head shift to the sides as it observed the community, examining the empty paths and still, wooden houses before deciding that it was safe to move into the open.

So she did.

Rising out of the darkness Katrina crept towards the edge of the rooftop, the wind coursing through her long hair as she continued to study the dusty village.

At the sound of a soft moan her narrow, jade eyes darted towards the left and she turned a little, enabling her to see the soldier that she had just dragged away from his position. She had propped him up against the side of a rocky path behind the rooftop, and faintly she could still see Ashei's arrow jutting out of his shoulder.

He groaned again and despite his helmet Katrina could have sworn she met his eyes – by light of the torches, she saw that they were green and fogged with pain. She turned away.

Unless he pulled the arrow out of his shoulder on his own, he would be fine.

A cold wind whispered towards her again, toying with the locks of her hair and making the hem of her jacket flutter around her legs. She turned her gaze to the top of the cliffs on the building's right and took a small step to the side so that the torch could not block her from view. Then she raised her hand.

On the opposing cliff Ashei waved back and dropped her hand, then looked down to the road nestled far below. Readying an arrow, she launched it and it dug into the soil a few feet away from her allies.

"Clear." Renée looked to the soldiers as soon as the arrow struck.

Bourke dragged one of the northern guards off to the side of the road and rested him against the canyon wall beside his partner. Both were unconscious, thanks to he and Drake; the latter retrieved the key to the gate from one of them and proceeded to open it. As soon as it was unlocked, the three crossed to the other side and followed the path.

Spotting their incoming silhouettes Ashei looked over to Katrina, who was still watching her, and waved. Katrina waved back and readied another arrow, aiming it at the village as she closely monitored each door.

Far below, Renée stopped short when Drake held up a hand, signaling for both her and Bourke to stop. She glanced at the torch-lit road before looking back at him.

"What is it?"

The soldier stepped closer to the main road, turning his eyes from one place to another. "There's no guards."

"Seriously?" Bourke peeked around him. "Man, their security's lame…"

"Maybe they don't expect much to happen here?" Renée guessed, stepping out of the shadow of the mountains to stand near one of the torches.

"Still, we should move carefully," Drake stated, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword. "We can trust our archers to look ahead for us, but we need to be wary ourselves."

At this Renée looked up at the building in the mountainside, where she could just barely make out Katrina's foreshortened form posing with her bow and arrow ready. Somehow, it made the Arkanian feel a bit safer.

Ashei moved further down the cliffs, hopping over piles of rock and skipping over small holes that had been created by years of erosion. Soon she stopped near the halfway mark of the village and peered down, steadying herself on the edge of the crag as she did. To her surprise, the village looked completely deserted.

She leaned back, eyebrows furrowed, and looked towards the southern entrance to see if Brent and his team had made it through yet. At the top of the mountain she was on, she could faintly make out the outlines of two people approaching – she guessed them to be Link and Richter.

They stopped a few seconds after she had spotted them and then she looked down at the road; sure enough, she could see Brent's head of striking blue hair and the two generals that had teamed up with him.

Ashei once again leaned away from the mountain and prepared another arrow, surprised and grateful for how smooth everything was going.

"See anyone?"

As Midna asked the question Mekial sidled along the wall that tunneled from Death Mountain Trail into Kakariko Village and peeped around the corner. Turning to reface her, he shook his head.

"It looks clear."

"Really?" Dijonay looked next and found that the guard was correct: save the crackling torches, the roads were empty. She stepped out of the way when the Hyrulean soldiers Alan and Turk walked past to get a good defensive position ahead of the rest of their group.

"It is…very quiet," Zelda observed quietly, joining Dijonay and Mekial at the mouth of the tunnel.

The prime minister only nodded in agreement before looking up and down the road again. Towards the right she could see Renée's small squadron coming from the north, but when she looked to the south all she saw was the main road curving around the wooden houses in the general direction of the southern exit. As she stared at this bend in the path, she wondered if Brent was all right.

Far out of her sight, Brent slowly approached the village fountain, turning his face this way and that as he observed the quiet surroundings. "…It _looks_ safe enough," he observed, coming to a halt a few feet away from the water's edge.

"Yes, strangely," Ison agreed, strolling forward behind him.

He, Brent and Falon had made it past the southern guards by having Brent pose as a recaptured prisoner from Link's execution. Richter and Link himself had struck down the guards while they weren't paying attention and after stealing their key the three on ground had unlocked the gate and entered the village, while their archers followed from higher ground. Perhaps it was because they had been prepared for much resistance, and so despite the safety of the situation, none of them desired to let down their guard.

"We should go back for the soldiers," Brent declared, turning to face the others, "and bring them to the inn. I'll signal for the others to do the same."

"We'll take care of it," Falon assured him just as Brent made to move back towards the exit. Silently the foreigner nodded his thanks before turning back to Kakariko. Behind him, the generals marched back to the gates.

When Brent walked around the bend in the road he stopped, staring down the main path and identifying the distant faces of his comrades further down. Near the Trail and towards the northern end one face disappeared, presumably to tell the rest of their group that Brent was within their sight.

Though she was far he managed to perceive Renée's face and he clenched a fist, and then raised it high enough for her to see it.

Recognizing the hand signal she gave what looked like a thumbs-up to someone near the Trail then looked to the soldiers with her, and they disappeared to move on to the next phase of Brent's plan.

Brent lowered his arm when he saw that Renée had understood and paused, then turned his head to the side and looked up at the cliffs to give the all-clear signal to Link and Richter. But before he could, the door of the building nearest to him opened.

The Hylian started, biting back an obscenity as his eyes darted about for a decent hiding spot. But before he could even look in one direction the door swung open wider, revealing two young girls upon the threshold: one with black hair cut into a bob, large brown eyes and thick eyebrows, and the other with short brown hair, a high forehead and bewildered, aquamarine eyes.

Up on the cliff, Link's mouth fell open.

Neither of the girls by the sanctuary doors budged an inch, staring at Brent in shock and amazement. But then suddenly the brown-haired girl let loose an ear-splitting screech and her face paled.

Realizing that her eyes were no longer upon him Brent turned around, and his muscles stiffened instantly at the sight of the Shadow launching towards him, one arm outstretched.

Working by instinct the Hylian ducked and rolled around it, briefly blinded by the haze of black mist that hovered about its feet. As he clambered to his feet he gripped his Bo staff, which had been strapped to his back, and struck in his defense.

The weapon cracked against the monster's skull and with a raspy growl it pivoted to face him, its hollowed face the epitome of Death itself. Briefly Brent froze, fazed by its horrifically skeletal features when an arrow abruptly pierced the beast's shoulder, shocking him out of his trance.

Enraged the Shadow rounded on the tops of the nearby cliffs just in time for another arrow to fly down and crash into its throat.

At that point the beast's fury was almost tangible and it ripped the arrowhead out of its neck, releasing a thin stream of black blood that splattered against the ground. Out of the side of his eye Brent spotted the girls on the doorsill dart back inside, slamming the door behind them, and he broke into offense while the Shadow was distracted.

His staff swung down from the right, slamming into the back of its head and leading it to reface him with an inhuman roar, slashing its sharp fingers out at his neck. He ducked just in time and came back up, pounding his staff into its face and quickly followed up with a swift kick and forceful thrust of his Bo, sending the beast stumbling back.

It growled again, only to pitch forward when another arrow dove into its back, and Brent's eyes flew up to see the source as Katrina. Gratitude welled within him for a brief moment, only to be dashed by horror.

He barely managed to shout out a warning to her when the Shadow that had crept up behind her seized her by the throat, yanking her from the ground so forcefully that she dropped her bow off the roof. Her legs swung out like a pendulum and her eyes bulged; already her lungs heaved for breath.

Then with a terrifying, animalistic yell, the Shadow threw her off the rooftop.

* * *

**OH NOES.**

**Btw, I don't know about you users on here, but I use the 'copy-n-paste' method for this. Whenever I read 'copy-n-paste', I HAVE to listen to "Copy & Paste" by Kwon Boa. So whenever I start posting chapters here, I start listening to that song.**

**I can't help it ._. It's a good song! lol**

**And another thing! Whenever I publish, I always publish at night! WUT DUH HECK**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

_"Mekial!"_ It had only been seconds after Brent had first been ambushed did Dijonay and her team come from out of hiding, and at the sound of the second Shadow's arrival she had whirled around in time to see Katrina plummeting towards the earth. Dijonay's voice caught in her throat and she said no more, her heartbeat quickening as she watched Katrina with swelling terror.

Spotting the Corvenian Mekial stood in front of Dijonay, hands extended as he whispered an incantation under his breath. Wind circled and tunneled beneath Katrina's falling form with the utterance of the spell, blowing dust into the air and slowing her descent until it finally eased her fall and rested her on the ground.

Ashei turned her attention to the Shadow on the rooftop and opened fire, only to have her arrow lodge into the dirt when the beast ducked into the shadows beyond the torches and vanished in a curl of black mist.

She glanced around quickly, waiting to see if the beast would reappear and when it did not she shouldered her bow and sprinted along the mountain until she came near to where Brent was still battling for his life. She had only just readied another arrow when she noticed Link rise to his feet, his empty eyes wide as though he were in a trance.

Moving at a speed he didn't know he was capable of his hands shifted, trading his bow and arrows for an oversized spinning top with sharp blades rimming its edges. In the next instant he flung the weapon outwards and jumped on top of its flat surface, falling upon one knee to maintain balance as it soared from the cliff and down to the Shadow below.

Hearing the loud whir of the approaching Spinner both Brent and the Shadow looked up. Quickly the monster's black eye sockets locked onto Link's demoralizing expression, and its hole of a mouth widened.

With a series of sickening cracks the Spinner's blades slashed into the Shadow's face, scraping so harshly that Link managed to see drops of black blood splash out. Even still the Spinner kept moving, pushing so far into the monster's head that the beast was forced to the ground.

As it neared the earth the Spinner's sharp edges broke through its skull and with one final strike the spike on the weapon's bottom whirled into the beast's head. Screaming murderously the Shadow writhed and thrashed on the ground, and as the gory scene ensued Brent stepped back, wide-eyed and aghast. After what felt like an eternity, the monster finally went still.

Link hopped off the Spinner and at once its speed decreased, enabling him to tuck it back into his belt pouch. Brent's eyes rose from the brutal mess of the Shadow's corpse to look at Link, whose once soulless eyes were now lit by a ferocious, almost wild fire that Brent had never seen there before. Up on the cliff, Richter and Ashei were gawking.

At the sound of running footsteps Brent returned to his senses to see Mekial, Dijonay and their group dashing towards them.

"What happen – _whoa!_" Mekial jumped back at the sight of the disfigured Shadow, his eyes wide in revulsion.

Dijonay stopped short with a gasp, her hand over her mouth, and Midna raised her eyebrows, almost impressed. Auru, Regal and Generals Alan and Turk looked to be at a loss for words.

Link suddenly started as though he had returned to himself, and the blaze in his eyes blew out. Upon relocating the Shadow, he lurched back instinctively. "Wh-what…"

"You _mangled_ it!" Brent finally burst, his voice dripping with astonishment and awe. Link looked at him worriedly. "_Man _do I owe you one!"

Link looked back at the almost unrecognizable creature. "_I _did…?"

"Looks like you still got it," Midna called out lightly, obtaining his attention. "Good work."

"I'll say," Mekial cringed. "Remind me to stay on your good side."

"No kidding…" Brent nudged the weathered arm of the dead monster with the end of his Bo. "Kids shouldn't see things like this."

"You're right." Mekial promptly turned away, closing his eyes.

Brent looked up. "I meant the kids in the village. But you're a kid, too, so, yeah, I guess you shouldn't look either."

Mekial met his laughing eyes with an unimpressed frown. "Thanks, Brent."

"What 'kids'?" Dijonay inquired.

"Just before this thing showed up, two girls were about to come out of there." Brent pointed to the building not too far away and Link followed his indication.

"The sanctuary…" he whispered quietly, then he started out of his thoughts. "Beth!"

Before anyone could voice a question Link darted towards the building and opened the door, startling those inside. But then all at once, the inhabitants overcame their surprise.

"Link!" Colin raced to his role model with Beth and Ariel at his heels, their faces beaming. "You came! I knew you would!"

"Colin," Link gasped, somewhat surprised. "And Ariel – are you all here?"

"Talo and Malo went to Malo's store," Beth told him. "But everyone from the village is here – they're usually over at the inn or someplace talking, so me and the boys come here to hang out with Luda and Renado."

At the mention of the shaman and his kind-hearted daughter Link directed his eyes back to the sanctuary, where he spotted the pair making their way towards him.

"It is good to see you again, Link," Renado greeted formally, his lips pulling upward in a tired smile. "Just as last year, the children spoke often of you. You keep their hope alive during such troubling times as these."

"Is that creature gone?" Luda asked concernedly, peeking around Link to see outside. Due to the small crowd of people she fortunately could not make out the Shadow's remains, but she did manage to perceive a pair of soldiers striding in from the south and carrying what looked like the night guards under their arms.

At the same time a small group of people came from the northern end of the road. One of them was a girl with her dark hair tied up and as soon as she came near, a boy that was donning a black cape ran at her and started to tell her what she had "missed".

"It was quite frightening," Luda finished, looking back at Link. "I hope you're all right."

"Of course he's okay!" Colin exclaimed excitedly, grinning at her assuredly before returning his attention to Link's face. "You got rid of that monster, didn't you Link?"

"I…yeah." Link nodded subtly, still unable to believe what he had done. "It's gone."

"I knew it!" If Colin's broad smile could get any bigger, it did. "You're amazing, Link!"

Link smiled softly in appreciation of the compliment and fixed his gaze on Renado when the shaman spoke up once more. "Might I ask, Link: you're here because you heard about what's befallen Hyrule, correct?"

In reply, Link simply nodded.

"I see; it is good that you are here. With your skills, Hyrule could use your help now more than ever. As you can see, this new empire is far from a good thing." He cut off as he looked over Link's head to the small crowd in front of the fountain, and his eyebrows creased quizzically. "Is that…Princess Zelda?"

"The _princess_?!" Beth burst immediately, her eyes growing large. "Really?! Link, why didn't you _tell _me you were friends with the princess?!"

Link pondered her question for a second. _Was _he a friend of the princess?

"It seems you've brought quite a number of people with you this time around," Renado observed. "And the princess…what could she be here for?"

"We came…to help," Link answered, his scattered mind struggling to retain the reason behind their arrival and keep up with both Beth and Renado's words at the same time. For some reason it was proving to be extremely difficult: he could already feel himself beginning to slip out of conscious thought.

"All of you?" Renado pressed curiously, and those three lone words seemed to push Link to his limit. The Hylian did not answer him. "…Link?"

At that point the crowd before the fountain parted, and the two soldiers that had returned with the night guards began to march towards the inn. At the same time Brent walked towards the sanctuary, holding Renado's eyes as he approached. "You're Renado, right?"

"I am." Renado tipped his chin politely. "And you are one of Link's companions."

"Yes. Brent." He stopped a few feet away from the door and glanced at Link, whose empty eyes were now downcast. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

* * *

"…That's quite the tale." Renado frowned and rubbed his chin, his eyes cast to the sanctuary's floor as he absorbed what Brent had just told him. The children of Ordon had been ushered back to their families along with Luda before the Hylian had informed Renado of their predicament – and what a predicament it was.

Renado had not known anything about the rising emperor, Malbex, nor had he ever thought to accuse him of such feats as the ones that Brent claimed he was to blame for. What was more unbelievable was the idea that not only Link but even Princess Zelda had become a victim of Malbex's merciless acts, and as a result they had lost most of their memories – even the recollection of who they had once been.

Still, with their atypically blank and clueless expressions, as well as the fearsome Twili guards that presently stood beside the ruler of a place called the "Twilight Realm", who Brent had introduced as Princess Midna, it was even more impossible to disregard the entire story.

"And so now your next objective is to restore what these two have lost…" Renado's eyes floated up to Link and Zelda's faces and he trailed off.

"That's the plan," Renée spoke up from the stairs on the left side of the room that led up to a rail-less balcony that ran along the circular wall. "We have to go and see a certain Great Fairy up in the northern mountains."

"That's far," Renado muttered. "How do you plan on getting there?"

"The same way we got here."

"Oh, right… That, uh… 'Grell', was it?"

Renée nodded.

"After we get Link and the princess back to their original selves, we're going to infiltrate Malbex's new place and try to end this before it gets any worse," Brent said, concluding his long explanation. "But before we do that, we'll have to figure out where he is and a good way to get in. We weren't entirely prepared to take Kakariko, and those Shadows caught us by surprise."

At those words Katrina, who had been sitting on the only bench on the right side of the room, suddenly shrunk, clenching her arms in a firm embrace of self-protection as she recalled how close she had come to death. It could have been over for her, just like that. Without her even getting the chance to fight back…

The same swift end that her family had received.

She bowed her head and her bangs fell across her eyes, shielding them from view.

Brent, having noticed Katrina's visualized trauma, returned his eyes to Renado. "We can't have something like that happen again."

"Of course." The shaman nodded his understanding. "And you plan to use this place as your hideout until then."

Brent nodded. "Yeah; Malbex thinks we're all dead so at the very least he won't see us coming."

"I understand. I will offer all of the help that I can – and I can start by telling you that Malbex is not in Hyrule."

"We know." Renado turned to face Midna. "Before I took them here, I used the Grell to do some scouting of my own: his accomplice, Alexandria, is currently in control of Hyrule. But as for where he is, well, I hadn't figured that out."

"I believe the soldiers that you captured may know," Renado offered. "Luda, my daughter, is a very strong girl; I will have her help me clean them up a bit, and then you can ask them for information."

Brent nodded slightly. "That'll help."

"Then, if you'll excuse me." Renado walked past the outlander and exited the building, closing the door behind him in enough time to save the group from a strong blast of cold air.

"By the way," Midna started after the door closed, her eyes panning across the many faces in the room, "when we take Link and Zelda to the Fairy, I can only take two of you guys with me." She looked pointedly at Brent, Renée, Katrina, Dijonay and Mekial. "Along with them, I'll be taking myself and these two big guys" – she looked up at her bodyguards – "so the Grell'll zap practically all of my strength if I take too many of you."

"I will go," Dijonay announced immediately, rising from her seat a few stairs below Renée.

Midna regarded her questioningly for a moment, her curiosity rising due to the resolution that shone so fiercely in the girl's eyes. "All right. Anyone else?"

"I will." Dijonay's eyes flew over to Brent, somewhat surprised.

"Don't screw up," Mekial warned, sending Brent a firm scowl.

Brent released a short laugh. "Way to have faith in me."

"Okay, Brent and Dijonay then," Midna finalized. "We'll go at…err…" She paused, remembering how time was hard to judge thanks to Malbex's deeds. "Um. Let's go for tomorrow. Sometime…tomorrow."

"Sometime tomorrow," Brent agreed, laughing. "Whenever that sometime is, or whenever tomorrow decides to show up."

"Good idea," Renée added, smiling lightly. "Tomorrow: after breakfast, after a long nap that might last all night if our internal clocks are ticking right." She and Brent laughed, along with a few others who chuckled.

"I could go for a long nap," Alan sighed.

"Really?" Bourke looked at him. "I still feel pretty wide awake."

"I'll take an extra nap for your sake," Ison offered good-humorously.

Bourke's eyes glimmered. "Bet you'll need to take an extra nap for everyone else here, too, huh Graybeard?" He laughed and one could almost see the vein pop up in Ison's forehead.

"…Oh! I get it." Mekial smirked. "Long nap…like bedtime, ha!"

Brent stared at him, blank-faced. "No, Mekial. You ruined it."

The mage scoffed and looked away, but when Brent laughed to show he was kidding around, the boy smiled.

Disregarding the group's attempt at lightening the mood Katrina held herself tighter, lowering her head until her entire face was cast in shadow.

* * *

**Aww, poor Katrina :(**

**And yay for Link kicking butt even though he's all absentminded 'n' stuff!**

**And yay for updating instead of writing an English essay! Whoo!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

It was not until a couple of hours had passed did Renado return to the sanctuary to inform the small rebellion group that the soldiers were well enough to be interrogated. But rather than finding the huge party gathered inside he only encountered Link and Zelda, as well as those that had been accompanying Link on his journey for the past several months.

Upon inquiring as to where everyone else had gone, Brent explained that the soldiers had divided their group to take up posts around the village to act as watch guards. Midna, as she had so often done in the Twilight Realm, had used the Grell for some other unannounced purpose, and Ashei and Auru had gone to meet with Colin's father, Rusl.

At the mention of his old teacher's name Link's eyes suddenly lit up and he lifted his chin, rising out of the dull hum of his droning thoughts and resting his eyes on Brent and Renado near the sanctuary doors. He straightened up a bit in his seat on the stairs but Zelda, who was a few stairs above him, remained still and silent, her gaze lost in the amber glow of the torch by the cellar entrance.

"I'll go to see the soldiers," Brent volunteered, though he directed his words more to his comrades. "I'll let you know what I find out from them."

"I guess we shouldn't overwhelm them," Renée agreed, turning away from the low torch to face him. She had been sitting in front of it in order to receive more heat in the cold area.

"We will wait here," Dijonay assured him from opposite the girl. She, too, was kneeling before the small fire. After she had spoken she and the others watched as Brent exited the building in Renado's wake, their departure inviting a chilly but brisk wind.

It was in silence that the two followed the main road towards the village hostel, with Renado taking calm, graceful strides as Brent followed a few feet behind. The traveler looked around the community as he walked noticing that, just as when they had arrived, the roads were fairly empty. Faintly he could hear the sounds of children's voices floating out of a slightly opened window further down the path but, save that, it was rather quiet.

He could not blame the inhabitants for staying indoors of course. It was windy and dark, and although the place was no longer under Hyrulean surveillance, he presumed that it would take the people a while before they completely registered the fact that, at least for now, they were no longer in bondage.

And Brent intended to keep it that way until he and the others were finally able to cleanse this country – and all the others that Malbex had conquered.

Upon entering the Elde Inn warm air blasted into him, dispersing from the kitchen where he could hear a loud fire popping. After glancing around the cozy interior of the area Brent followed the shaman up the stairs and into the room that the soldiers were being kept in.

Brent stopped soon after entering, studying the soldiers' crestfallen expressions and their splinted arms and legs. None of them looked particularly proud or defiant; in fact, they looked ashamed and despondent, as though disappointed in the idea that they had been so quickly and skillfully undone.

There were only four of them, each to his own bed and all of them sitting up. Three of them had been shot in the leg or waist and so their legs were propped up on pillows, while only one had been wounded in the arm. Bandaged and immobilized in the old-fashioned cast he had his head down and unlike the rest of his allies he had fallen asleep; the officer next to him was starting to do the same.

After letting his eyes glaze over the officers Brent looked at Renado, almost to ensure that speaking to them now was all right.

Renado met his gaze out of the corner of his vision and with his eyes closing for a brief second he nodded, silently confirming Brent's thoughts.

Comforted by this Brent marched forward, walking up to the first of the still-conscious soldiers that made split second eye contact with him. This man's wound was located in his thigh and he sat up a little as Brent came to the foot of his bed.

"I need information from you," the young adult started sternly, holding the man's black eyes with his. "We don't intend to harm you; just answer my questions." The man scoffed and looked away, but even so Brent continued. "Where's Malbex?"

"Shoot me in the leg and expect me to answer you?" the man grumbled disagreeably.

Brent didn't falter. "We had you patched up, didn't we? Answer the question."

"He doesn't tell us anything," the soldier finally relented, his thin eyes sliding over to meet Brent's. "Never has."

"I doubt that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Brent leaned forward so that his hand was gripping the footrest. "He's an emperor now, isn't he? His followers should know where he is, shouldn't they?"

"…He's not here," the soldier brushed off nonchalantly, averting his eyes. Something glinted in his dark irises for a moment, something that Brent just barely spotted.

"We know he's not." He pushed off the footrest so that he was standing straight. "He's got someone else running this place for him."

"That's all I know." The soldier still didn't look at him and again Brent noticed the flash of worry shoot through the man's eyes. In that rapid instant, he understood.

"You know something," he pressed, an edge sharpening his voice. "You might as well say it; as far as mutiny against your princess and country is concerned, your punishment won't get any better if you hold it in."

Much to his disappointment, the soldier remained tightlipped.

"We did it…_for _our country."

Brent averted his stare from the soldier before him to look at the one in the adjacent bed. He was glaring at Brent beneath a shaggy fringe, his brown eyes wavering in a discomfort that was caused by the pain flowing through his shin.

Brent eyed him confusedly. "What do you mean 'for'?"

In front of him the soldier that had been unwilling to speak eyed the man warningly, as if he could threaten him with his livid glare.

"Not like it matters," the other soldier grunted to him, as if he had read his ally's thoughts. "You really think this wouldn't have happened?"

The first man whipped his eyes away, his scowl deepening.

"We did it," the soldier went on grudgingly, fixing his eyes on Brent again. "We mutinied because we wanted to protect the princess and our homeland. I can't even remember how long ago it was…but one day, Prince Malbex just showed up in the barracks out of nowhere – he just walked right out of some giant portal." He paused, as though waiting to see if Brent would believe him.

"Go on," the teen urged.

"We tried to fight him," the soldier went on quietly. "He was just one person, so we figured it would be easy to subdue him. But the next thing we knew we were surrounded by a bunch of his black creatures, those Demonics that have been floating around.

"Prince Malbex told us that he wanted to take Hyrule; that he wanted to make it better. And he said he'd do it with or without our help. But he gave us conditions: if we didn't help him, he swore he'd take everything and get rid of anyone that stood against him; that he'd control Hyrule as he saw fit, whether Hyrule wound up turning into a slave nation or not. But then he told us that if we did help him, he promised he'd let Hyrule retain its traditions and beliefs and overall way of living; that Hyrule would remain unharmed, and no one would get hurt."

Brent stared at him. "You believed him?"

"Most of us did out of fear," the soldier acknowledged guiltily. "None of us wanted to die that day – and we definitely didn't want our families or friends or any other Hyruleans to die so…" His eyes hardened. "…We agreed."

Brent averted his eyes, suddenly recalling how Link had once described Hyrule's soldiers as "pathetic". Somehow that word did not even come close to what they really were.

But what he found to be more intriguing about the soldier's story was that Malbex had gone to the soldiers first, rather than making himself known to the princess. From that he gathered that it had been the man's plan to increase his military strength from the start; to gain obedience from Princess Zelda's underlings so that in the end she would have no choice but to submit to him as well.

"Of course, he failed to mention what he'd have us do," the soldier went on, drawing Brent from his thoughts. "He had someone named Tentra come to us a while later and…the next thing I knew, we were slaughtering people." The soldier's voice trembled as he stared off into space, and he bowed his head as he brought up a hand to grip his hair. "Without even thinking about it, we just…we killed so many of them…" His voice broke with the onslaught of that memory and his hand slid down to cover his face.

Brent's eyebrows furrowed and his copper eyes tightened. "What did he say to make you do that?"

"I…I can't remember exactly." The soldier raised his head: his eyes were glistening though no tears had fallen, and he swiped his forearm beneath his nose with a sniff. "But whatever it was that he said it just…at the time it made complete sense. Somehow, he just…talked us into it."

There was a faint creak towards the back of the room and Brent threw a quick look to see that Renado had shifted slightly, his darkened features watching the soldier with an unreadable expression. Brent returned his eyes to the officer, sifting through the multiplying questions forming in his mind until he drew up one he deemed best appropriate to ask.

"Would you say the soldiers from the capital come here to check up on things often?"

"No… I wouldn't say that." The soldier didn't look at him. "It was just us five that got picked to guard this village. Supposedly it was because Prince Malbex didn't want the 'rural community' making uproar in the new empire."

Brent repeated the man's answer in his thoughts a few times before he voiced it aloud. "'Us five'?" Briskly he counted the soldiers before him. "There're four of you."

"Yeah." The soldier also looked over to see how many of his allies were with him.

"There's supposed to be five?"

"Well, yeah…" The soldier looked at Brent worriedly. "I guess…our other man must have been lost in your ambush."

Brent swallowed a curse, suddenly imagining one of the soldiers, or even Katrina, killing one of the soldiers that had been on patrol in the village. The idea didn't seem very likely.

Forcing his mind to focus on what was in front of him, he quickly picked out another inquiry to voice. "Just one more question," he pushed out. "The one your friend wouldn't answer: where's Malbex's palace?"

The soldier threw a quick glance at his comrade, who was pointedly trying to ignore their conversation, before looking up at Brent. "It's…up north. In the middle of Albaan."

The name of the country rang something in Brent's mind and he nodded his head to the soldier. "Thanks."

And without another word he cleared out of the room. Renado lingered behind for a few seconds before he also departed, and on the floor below he caught up with Brent just as he was opening the front door.

As the shaman approached Brent stopped and turned his head towards him. "Do you have a world map at all?"

"Yes," Renado replied, studying the young adult's grim features. "There's one in the sanctuary cellar."

"I'd like to borrow it when I get back."

"Back?" Renado frowned. "Back from where?"

"I'm taking Mekial and a few soldiers to scout the roads leading to the capital," Brent answered curtly and he crossed onto the inn's porch and started back for the sanctuary. "If there was a fifth soldier, he can't have gotten far."

* * *

Alexandria ambled down the long castle corridor, her long silver hair swishing against her back as she stared out of the tall windows beside her.

There was nothing to look at of course and she did not wish to blame Malbex, but it seemed that ever since he had established his new empire the world had steadily grown darker. She often wondered why. With his hands on the Triforce, shouldn't things be brighter?

But when this thought occurred to her she chose not to dwell on it for long. She trusted that, if anything, Malbex was well aware of what was happening. If something actually was wrong, she had no doubt that he would rise to do something about it.

The sound of armor clanking further down the hall dragged her bored, red eyes away from the glass windowpanes and further down the hall, where a Hyrulean soldier could be seen.

As the two passed each other he bowed his head a bit. "Lady Alexandria," he greeted.

Alexandria's lips did not part to respond but rather she made a small hum of acknowledgement before directing her eyes away. Though she did not at all mind it, she found it interesting how all of the soldiers were being so lenient and respectful of her, almost as if she was their princess.

At that thought Alexandria's mind wandered back to when Malbex had first told her of his victory in the Gerudo Mesa. She had not seen him so thrilled since he had obtained praise from his father when they were younger and so needless to say she had been surprised, and had been even more so when she saw that Morbex was with him.

"Don't worry about him," Malbex had told her with confident simplicity, having trailed her defensive stare over to his brother.

But even still Alexandria had not felt at complete ease around the younger prince. Though she had only seen him once since that day, just as with Malbex, she could not help but feel perturbed by his presence. He had been against them this entire time after all; how could he have decided to side with them so abruptly?

Perhaps there was something that was not being revealed to her, some fact that had been swept out of her sight. Malbex, as of late, had not told her much of his plans, save the fact that he wanted her to govern Hyrule while he took to expanding this 'New Eldonis'.

Even the title of his empire had sparked curiosity in her mind and still now she wondered if something had happened to Eldonis, something that, like everything else, he was suddenly not willing to tell her.

Still, her loyalty to him was not deterred. He had done much for her in her life; it was only fair to grant him her support in his.

But even with that thought motivating her there was not much to do with her generous support: not too long after this strange darkness had begun to spread Malbex had ordered for her to put the capital on lockdown, again for reasons he had not chosen to reveal.

None of the citizens complained much about it however, probably due in part to the fact that they did not want to journey out into the fields in the first place since it was so dark and, possibly, still littered with Holes.

Merchants still sold their wares on the torchlit avenues and people still went about their daily business, and whenever small issues that required the princess' attention arose, such as court hearings over small disputes, Alexandria would arrive in the guise of Zelda, which no one would see through.

The people absolutely adored their princess, Alexandria had come to realize, and they often greeted and smiled to her when she passed. She was still unused to it. The first couple of weeks she had even ignored the calls of those people but now, to better play Zelda's role, she had forced shallow smiles upon all who spoke to her. It was truly a peculiar feeling to be popular, and she suddenly wondered if she would always have to pretend to be a princess.

A _dead _princess, at that.

Alexandria suddenly stopped walking as a shudder ran through her and she looked down at the elaborate gown she was wearing. These clothes belonged to a dead woman.

No matter how many times she reminded herself of that fact it still gave her that same, haunting chill. Regardless, she resisted the urge to dash back to Zelda's quarters and change into her own clothes. Instead she made to keep walking, maintaining a leisurely speed when abruptly another shiver trickled down her spine. A split second later the hairs on her nape bristled and she whirled around to face the other end of the corridor.

She was alone.

Of course. Why wouldn't she be?

Alexandria rubbed the back of her neck, creasing her thin, almost invisible silver eyebrows. Then she dropped her hand and turned to continue down the hall, only to halt in her tracks when a soft sigh whispered down the passageway.

It crawled into her ears, making her skin tingle and her eyes darted around the hall, jumping from the paintings hanging on the walls to the banners that dangled from the ceiling, as if she could find where the long exhale of breath was coming from. But as far as she could tell, there was no one else around.

_"Attacked…"_ the air sighed softly. The corners of her eyes flinched.

She pivoted once more.

_"It was an ambush."_

The corridor fell still and for a moment Alexandria ceased to breathe. Then in the very center of the hall a small black dot appeared, whirling and growing until it took on the form of an undersized, dark cloud. Though it was small in appearance its aura seemed to magnify, crowding the hall with a sinister, alien presence that seeped into every corner.

Before Alexandria's eyes a little bump appeared in the cloud, expanding until it took on the shape of a large bulge. Then it extended further and the black fog broke around it, showing the lump to be the top of a silver helmet.

The headpiece inched out a little more and then an entire head exuded from the darkness, enabling the person's mouth to part with a loud gasp. Gradually the rest of his body was pushed out, neck, shoulders, torso then waist, leaving the man to dangle and slowly ooze out of the Shadow's innards with a series of quivering pants.

Alexandria watched plainly as the officer landed on the ground in a heap, coughing and wheezing as his lungs vacuumed the air. He clawed at the hallway carpet in a desperate attempt to roll onto his front and as he did Alexandria identified an arrow jutting out of his shoulder.

Behind the officer the Shadow took on its full form and gently floated towards the ground. As it did Alexandria marched forward, her eyes fixated on the sputtering guard. Once she was a few feet away from him she stopped, waiting for him to recover enough for him to speak.

To her impatience he simply kept coughing, one hand seizing his wounded, bleeding arm and the other gripping a handful of the carpet. Finally he looked up, as though sensing Alexandria's presence and her gaze shortly latched onto a pair of green eyes before his face flew back down with another loud cough.

Seeing that it was not likely for him to be speaking any time soon, Alexandria delivered her attention to the Shadow, whose skull of a face was hidden beneath the shade of its black hood. "What happened?"

The Shadow's breath came out as another long and dry sigh that devoured the corridor. _"Kakariko was ambushed," _it told her, its hole of a mouth not even moving as it spoke, _"by unsupervised rebels. They took the village."_

Alexandria's throat clenched. "By who?"

_"Humans…soldiers and humans, together."_

Alexandria's eyebrows furrowed perplexedly. "Did the villagers rebel?"

_"No; Zelda was there."_

Alexandria's already pale face blanched even more as the Shadow's words hit her like a torrent of hail. Zelda? _Princess_ Zelda? The _dead_ princess?

It was impossible.

She swallowed her shock and fixed the Shadow with an authoritative stare. "Are you sure?"

The Shadow did not answer.

In truth, it did not need to. In all their time of working for Malbex, the creatures had not once delivered false or inaccurate information.

Thus, no matter how much Alexandria wanted to deny it, the Shadow's testimony meant that Princess Zelda was in Kakariko Village now, at this very moment. Alive.

Princess Zelda was _alive_.

And if she was, then that meant that Link was as well.

Alexandria's heart battled against her chest. She could clearly remember Malbex telling her that Link and Zelda were dead thanks to his and Morbex's efforts. The younger brother had not even spared the hero's allies.

Alexandria suddenly sucked in her breath. His allies. Were Link's allies alive too? All of them?

Her mind spun and she strained to reorganize her thoughts, to focus in spite of the Shadow's news and the wounded soldier's relentless coughing. Hyrule had been given into her hands, which meant that this was a predicament that she needed to remedy.

And she needed to do so before Malbex learned of it.

"Take him away," she ordered tightly, glowering down at the injured officer. "And gather your numbers." She turned her gleaming red eyes to the black monster. "We're going back."

The Shadow released another quiet breath, its absent eyes almost boring into her panicked mind before it swept its arm outwards, allowing the fog of its cape to furl around the crumpled officer.

Then in a wisp of black smoke they disappeared, leaving Alexandria standing there, alone once more.

* * *

**...I don't have anything to say...so...yeah.**

**Oh wait. Yes I do.**

**Thanks for all the views/reviews/support for this fanfic! :D I appreciate you guys' comments and support a lot!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Renée stared at the tiny bug as it skittered across the dusty inn room floor, watching as its short legs struggled to clamber over the ground's bumpy surface. With her stomach flat on the room's mattress and the side of her head nestled against her arms she observed it: quietly, tiredly, as if its trivial feats actually mattered to her.

She had lost track of time too long ago, close to when Brent had taken Mekial and a couple of the soldiers to locate a "fifth" guard that had supposedly escaped their ambush. Blaming the eclipse of darkness Renée had claimed to be tired not too long after they had left, and so Renado had escorted her to one of the empty rooms at the Elde Inn. It was comfortable and spacious, and the bed was about as soft as any bed that she had ever laid on; and yet, she could not fall asleep. Perhaps she was not as tired as she had thought.

Or, perhaps she had just needed to retreat from everything that had happened so far.

Just a small break – that was all she needed. Just a little time to relax her mind after everything that she and the others had experienced thus far. Although she had enjoyed the journey throughout Hyrule, had been enthralled by the sights and smells and sounds of the magical place, the weight of their quest had begun to press down on her after Link and Zelda had nearly been lost in the Mesa. Still now when she looked into their stark blue eyes she felt a cold rush of guilt.

In fact just the idea of that emotion led it to attack her again and so Renée buried her face in her arms as if she could escape it. She had no reason to feel guilty – it was not as though she could have done anything to help them back then. There was the Proclaimer and Malbex…

She shuddered as Malbex's face flashed in her mind and she raised her face, then rested her chin on her forearms and stared at the headrest. And in that moment she came to the understanding that her guilt did not stem from what she had _not_ done.

It came from what she _could_ not have done.

Perhaps she had not tried hard enough, or perhaps she had just been too weak… But either way, Link and the princess were suffering now.

Renée wanted to help them. She wanted to see the light return to their eyes, to take part in assuring their recovery as an apology for having been useless when they had needed help the most. Numerous times she had considered asking Dijonay or Brent if she could go to the Regeneration Fairy in their stead but in the end she had rejected the idea. It did not seem right to take either of their places for such a thing; after all, the two probably wanted to see the Hylians restored just as much as she did.

So grudgingly, Renée had accepted the idea of remaining in the village. Perhaps she would not be of as much use here but at least when Link returned, she along with Mekial and Katrina would be waiting to greet him and aid him as before – this time in what might be the last stretch of their journey.

Renée paused.

That thought was difficult to form. No matter how she looked at it, it was difficult to decide that her time in Hyrule could soon be over. If they defeated Malbex –

She shook those words out of her mind. That wasn't right.

_When_ they defeated Malbex.

They had to defeat him. Otherwise the country of Hyrule and all of its neighbors would be shrouded in darkness until the end of the prince's days. And that could not happen; they had to defeat him. His success had been their failure after all. So they had to face and overpower him, as they should have in the Mesa.

Renée dipped her head into her arms again, and then with a long sigh she rolled off the bed and got to her feet. Then without casting even the smallest of glances around the room, she left.

The lobby was empty of both guests and a receptionist, as it had been when she had first arrived. On the way to the old inn Renado had informed her that the villagers from Ordon used the place for lodging at night, but in the day it was usually vacant.

Renée wondered if it would be nighttime soon, or if in this bleak world it was possible for families to gather in such a place for evening dining and jokes shared around the dinner table. Faintly she remembered the nights that she, Mekial and their parents had done such things what seemed like every night.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

Tearing her misting eyes from the empty dining room Renée opened the Elde Inn door and walked out onto the deck, and to her surprise caught sight of Link standing amongst the Ordon children in the center of the main road. Shortly she considered leaving the group to their reunion but, as she approached the right-side ramp, she noticed the dying look hovering in Link's eyes as the children chattered around him.

"Can we meet the princess, Link?" Beth pleaded, her hands clasped in front of her chest. "I just want to talk to her – just for a little bit!"

"I don't want to meet the princess," Talo blurted out defiantly, pushing his way in front of Link with his shoulder and pumping his fists before him in a gesture of impatience. "I wanna learn some new sword tricks! You haven't been around the village in ages! I don't wanna get rusty!"

"Sword…?" Link raised his hand to curl his fingers around the hilt of his own weapon, and Talo nearly leaped out of his skin in excitement.

"Wait, lemme get mine, too!" he cried, his face splitting into a victorious grin.

"I think he needs time to relax," Colin piped up wisely, looking at Talo. "He seems kind of tired."

"Aw, whadduyu know?" Talo rounded on him irritably, almost offended by the idea that he was being opposed. "I've spent _weeks_ making my new sword ever since my last one got broken! I've been waiting for this!"

Colin hesitated, nearly backing down at the aggression in Talo's tone, but after a quick second he reclaimed his ground. "Link's probably been really busy!" he shot back, forcing a commanding tenor so as to veil his old fear of the boy. "I wanna learn too, Talo, but I think we should let him rest a bit. I told you that before we got here!"

"He looks fine to me!"

"No, you're friend's right; he needs to rest."

Both of the boys whipped their eyes over to Renée, who was now standing beside the Hylian while holding Talo's gaze seriously. "I'm sure he can teach you when he's feeling a bit more like himself."

Talo's short eyebrows furrowed in frustration, but seemingly more inclined to accept the words of someone that was older than he and Colin, he relented. "Fine…"

"Renée…" Renée turned her eyes to Link when he addressed her and his gaze was plain and informative as he continued. "I'm not tired."

"…Maybe not," Renée replied after considering the honesty in his voice, "but it's probably a better idea to wait a while before you give him some lessons. You haven't been…" She glanced at the children and lowered her voice a little, so that only he could hear, "…yourself lately. Y'know?"

Link's eyes fell from hers thoughtfully and the hand he had used to clasp his sword hilt slipped to his side.

"Hey." Renée dropped her gaze to find who was speaking to her this time: it was the smallest child and the Arkanian's mind jumbled in confusion at the sight of his babyish face paired with his contrasting and mature demeanor. "You're one of the people that were traveling with Link, right?"

"Y-yeah," the girl answered, swallowing her bewilderment to grant him the proper amount of attention.

"We tried asking Link earlier, but he got kind of quiet," Malo began, "but Talo was wondering if Morbex was with you guys."

Behind him, Talo's cheeks took on a faint shade of pink. "W-was not!"

Ignorant of his reaction, Renée's heart skipped at the mention of Morbex and she faltered momentarily. But upon reminding herself that the children before her were not in need of intricate details, she soon recovered.

"He's not," she answered crisply.

"Well, do you know where he is?" Beth asked, her freckled face puckered with concern. "I mean…he _was _with you guys when you left the village, right? Is he okay?"

"…Morbex…turned against us," Link spoke up suddenly and Renée stared at him, completely taken aback while the children gaped.

"What do you mean?" Colin blinked his widened eyes in shameless surprise. "He was our friend! He always hung out with us when he could and he even saved my dad – and Talo, too!"

"Did you guys get into a fight or something?" Beth questioned worriedly, looking between Renée and Link.

The Hylian did not blurt out a response this time, but instead shifted his dim eyes to the side. Renée did not give an instant reply to Beth's inquiry either, though her silence was due more in part to how ridiculously accurate the young girl's assumption was.

As such, a short moment had passed by the time her mouth opened to release a barely formed answer: "I…" She stared at Beth sightlessly, and then her shoulders drooped as she broke eye contact. "…I suppose that's one way to put it."

"Well…then that means that you guys just to have to make up, right?" Colin guessed hopefully, straining an encouraging smile in spite of Renée's melancholic look. "Morbex was a nice person, so it couldn't have been that bad, right?"

Renée let her eyes drift towards the boy, her dark eyes full of soundless longing.

_If only it was that easy._

A quick succession of cracks ripped through the air then, causing the attention of the small gathering to scatter. Dissonant snaps and pops broke out after it, bringing with it a few instant flashes of cerulean light. The wind strengthened next, rushing over the torches that lined the road and sending thick mounds of dust swirling into the air.

The flashes of light flickered more frequently as the gusts grew, forcing the group to squint their eyes as they slowly backed away from a jagged, white scar that was forming in midair a few feet away from them. Then all at once the tear split apart and gradually opened up, causing a violent outburst of snaps and crackles that nearly split their eardrums.

Shielding their eyes from the bright light, they barely managed to perceive a trio of tall, dark forms striding through the whirling portal. Even as the strange figures approached the Grell's splintered hand continued to flash and streak around the floating gateway, its sporadic jumps and darts ranging from the length of a doorframe to the height of a tree.

Then swiftly the winds ceased and the light died, shrinking from a blinding glow to an absent illumination that gave way to torchlit darkness.

Link lowered his arm first and straightened up, fixing his eyes on one of the beings. "Midna."

As he uttered her name the others lowered their elbows to find the Twilight Princess standing there, her blue face alight with exuberance. The Ordonians inched back a little at the intimidating sight of her bodyguards, who were beside her as always.

"Freaky…" Talo murmured.

Renée studied Midna's features and frowned slightly. "Why are you so happy?"

Midna directed her glittering red eyes towards her. "Because I've got good news."

"What?"

"I decided to go and scout out the mountains up north, just to see if I can at least locate that fountain that my servant was talking about," the princess explained, sliding the golden bracelet off of her wrist and tucking it into an obscure pocket in her cloak. "It took a while, but I'm pretty sure I found the trail that leads to it."

"That _is_ good news," Renée confirmed, her spirits lifting a little. "So you can just transport everyone right there!"

"Well, that _would_ be ideal…" Midna folded her arms as the cool bite of the unnatural wind brushed against her exposed skin. "But there are a bunch of shaky rock walls around the path. If I were to use the Grell to go straight there, I'm worried I might make the entire place cave in or something. You know with the whole" – she flicked her fingers out to insinuate sparks – "light show."

Renée nodded her understanding.

"But anyway, my work for today is done." Midna stretched her arms out before her. "And that Grell's taken a lot out of me, so I think I'll turn in early for the night. Or…whatever time it is."

"It's almost seven," Malo spoke up, drawing Midna's eyes down towards him. "There's a clock over in one of the houses."

"Seven, huh?" Midna sent him a pleasant smile of gratitude. "Then I'm turning in early for the night. For the sake of Link and Zelda, I'd like us to head out as soon as we can tomorrow. Can you tell that to Brent and Dijonay?" She directed this request to Renée, who gave her yet another tip of her chin.

"I will."

"Thank you. Then I'll see you all in the morning." Smiling one last time, the foreigner made her way towards the Elde Inn with her guards following behind her.

As the tall creatures ducked into the doorway in her wake, Renée directed her focus to Link. "Where are Dijonay and Brent, anyway?"

"Everyone is…" Link held the side of his head as he racked through his brains for a moment, then he dropped his arm and turned his eyes to the sanctuary. He pointed at it. "They're in there."

Renée nodded her thanks and granted an audience to the children next. "You're gonna cut Link some slack on the sword lesson, right?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Talo folded his arms and avoided making eye contact.

Even so Renée accepted his words and after passing a quick, encouraging smile to Link, she made her way towards the village sanctuary.

As before, everyone from her traveling company was inside: Dijonay and Mekial were sitting in front of the bowl candle before the sanctuary cellar's entrance, Katrina was near one of the windows, Zelda was sitting on the bench and Brent was leaning against the wall beside it.

In spite of their regular appearances however, Renée quickly found that the mood around everyone was different: it was heavy and tense, and quickly made Renée feel as though she had walked in on the aftermath of a serious discussion. Closing the door behind herself, she found her feet glued to the inner threshold.

The sound of the door closing invited the eyes of Mekial and Dijonay, and her brother greeted her first.

"Hi," she returned quickly, her eyes darting between everyone's grim features. Suddenly, her mind pieced the situation together and her eyes flew back to Mekial. "You didn't find him."

The boy's face instantly darkened. "No."

Brent's eyes narrowed where he was standing and his folded arms tightened.

"We were out there for hours," Mekial told his sister. "At least it felt like that long. But we didn't find anything – except for the corpses of monsters."

Renée frowned. "Corpses?"

"General Falon believed it to be the work of the Shadows before we arrived here," Dijonay informed her, her face shadowed with severity. "Ever since they first came to Hyrule, the Shadows have been known to attack and kill any weak monsters that they come across."

Renée made a soft humming noise of thought, and then redirected her eyes to Brent. "Are you sure there was a fifth soldier?"

His gaze flicked up towards her to find whom she was addressing. "From what I was told," he answered flatly. "And it makes sense: two soldiers at the north gate, two at the south, and Katrina said she saw one on that hill when she took a position there. As for how he got away, I can't figure it out. But, no matter how it's looked at, he's gone." He fixed his eyes on the crackling fire before Dijonay and Mekial, and his voice lowered. "It's probably only a matter of time before we're found out."

Zelda, who had been staring off into space, looked at Brent at this last statement. "What…what will happen to us, then?"

Brent peered at her through his peripheral vision then looked at the ground, his mind working to piece together some kind of back-up plan. "…We could relocate," he offered after a moment.

Zelda's eyes did not move from him. "To where?"

"What about the Hidden Village?" Katrina offered, pivoting so that her back was pressed against the windowsill. "They're still rebuilding over there, aren't they? No one would see us coming from there."

"Midna wanted to set out for the Fairy early tomorrow," Renée countered, recalling the princess' words. "If we were to relocate now, wouldn't that delay the trip? I mean, it'd wear her out. She just got back from using it again and even turned in early."

"Well, she does use it a lot," Katrina pointed out matter-of-factly.

Brent once again retreated into his mind to concoct a strategy, his eyes closing. "…If we didn't use the Grell, we'd have to travel on foot," he thought aloud. "But doing that would put us at risk of a Shadow ambush."

"Never thought I'd say this," Katrina sighed, "but I kind of miss that dragon."

"Yeah…" Renée's expression became distant as she pictured the ferocious beast. "I wonder what happened to it."

"If it knew what's good for it, it got out of that desert when we never returned to it," Brent figured easily. "If anything it's wandering around the skies, or it might have gone to a completely different continent by now."

Renée snorted. "There goes my hope."

"Sorry," Brent raised a shoulder and pushed off the wall. "But given the situation, we can't just rely on hope – we need to figure something out."

"But what is there _to _figure out?" Renée challenged candidly. "Where _can_ we go?"

Again Brent paused, casting his eyes down and off to the side. Then he spoke up once again, "We'll leave for the Fairy as soon as we can tomorrow. After that, I guess all we can do is return and wait for Midna to regain some more of her strength so that we can all use the Grell and move to the Hidden Village."

"It sounds risky," Renée said with an uneasy frown. "I mean, she's practically running on empty as it is."

"I know," Brent snapped in frustration, scratching his head roughly. "But we're running out of options. It's not like we have some Hover Boards stashed around nearby."

To this Renée said nothing, choosing not to risk raising his anxiety even more.

"…Well, if that's the plan for now, you guys should probably be headed to bed," Katrina noted aloud, pinning her eyes on Brent before letting them jump over to Dijonay. "It'll be a long day for you guys after all."

Brent raked a hand through his hair. "…I'll go to bed later."

"Don't stay up thinking too much," Mekial called up to him. "Your head might blow up."

Brent smirked. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I will go to bed," Dijonay announced, rising to her feet. Once standing she brushed the wrinkles out of her dress. "And it would be wise for you to do the same, Brent." She stared hard at him as she spoke and her eyes were unusually demanding, as though she were giving him a direct order. Even so her grim look only lasted a few short seconds before she turned and exited the building.

"She's been uptight," Mekial said to Renée's questioning expression after Dijonay had departed. "Ever since she volunteered for going to the Fairy at least."

Renée peeked at the door over her shoulder as if she could see Dijonay walking away, and then returned her gaze to the sanctuary. "…She has a point though," she admitted carefully, her words specified towards Brent. "You should get some rest."

"I don't know if I could sleep." Once again Brent pressed his back against the wall then stuffed his hands into his pants' pockets. "There's too much going on in my head right now."

He fell silent, though Renée's eyes continued to linger on him before she let them slip down to Zelda, whose attention had once again been lost.

Silently Renée recalled her earlier and unsuccessful attempt at rest, and she found herself registering the fact that she was not the only one whose spirit was muddled with anxiety; everyone else was just as concerned and angry as she was.

And with emotions like that, she wondered if any of them would manage to find rest.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Link wandered down the road in the direction of the village fountain. The children of Ordon had hung around him for a little while longer after Renée had gone to the sanctuary, and only a few minutes ago they had retired to the inn for the night. Even as they had been around him they had started to give him strange, concerned looks, clearly having been able to read through his amnesiac behavior as something genuinely wrong.

Link had noticed their worried eyes but at the same time he had not, his shattered mind only able to focus on one thing at a time – namely responding to their questions and statements.

Malo had been the first to ask him what was wrong and, though Link had wanted to answer, he could not. It was as though there was a part of him that had not wanted to lay out the burdening details of what he had gone through while he had been separated from them.

Or perhaps he had not spoken because he simply could not clearly remember such details.

The faint sound of splashing water drew Link back to the present as he neared the fountain, and as he came closer he managed to make out the outline of a lone figure standing by the pond's edge, waving their arms this way and that as they manipulated the liquid before them. A few more advancing steps gave Link the ability to identify the being as Mekial. Link stopped a few meters behind the boy and his eyes fell to the small pile of ice cubes placed by his feet before rising to see what exactly he was doing.

With his brow furrowed in concentration the child's lips moved soundlessly, forming the words of a spell as he dragged a long and thin tube of water out of the pond and then he cupped his hands beneath it so that it pooled into his palms.

Link blinked once, and in that short instant the water in Mekial's hands froze into a tiny block.

Link started in surprise and as Mekial turned to drop the ice into the pile beside him, he spotted the Hylian standing there. "Oh. Hi, Link."

"You…" Link stared at the freshly made ice cube, watching as a cool vapor wafted off of it like a smoky mist. "You froze it."

"Yeah!" Mekial beamed. "I'm finally getting it! Maybe if I keep this up I'll be able to freeze waterfalls. Like the ones in the Zora's Domain!"

Link's mind whirred suddenly, conjuring up a faded image of one of the Zoras' waterfalls frozen over. Pensively, he frowned. "They wouldn't like that."

"Yeah, they probably wouldn't." Mekial refaced the pond. "But I still think it'd be cool." He snickered. "Heh, get it? _Cool_? Like _ice_?" He peeked over his shoulder with a smile that died upon meeting Link's lifeless expression. "…Never mind."

"How long have you been doing this?" Link asked after a moment.

"…Not long," Mekial responded after drawing up another tendril of liquid that collapsed into his palms. "I don't really know, actually. I'm just not tired like everyone else, so I figured I'd practice."

"Not tired?"

"Yeah; everyone else went to bed. Well, except –"

_Splash!_

Eyebrows raised, Link took a few steps closer when he saw that Mekial had stiffened, and upon gaining a better view of him found that the water that was once in his hands had erupted into his face. "What happened?"

"I screwed up…" Mekial grumbled as the water dripped from his chin. He wiped his face with his cloak. "Ugh, I almost had that one…" Once his face was cleared he looked up into Link's face. "But I was saying that everyone else went to bed except for Brent. Well, he went to the inn like everyone else, but he said he wasn't going to sleep."

"Why not?"

"I don't know." Mekial raised a shoulder. "Guess he's really worried."

"About what?"

Mekial looked back at Link at this, and suddenly reminded himself that he had not been present during their discussion in the sanctuary. "When we took the village, one of the soldiers that had been acting on guard duty escaped," he informed him. "Brent thinks we'll be found out soon."

Link's face fell and his forehead creased worriedly; at the same time his mind went back to the Ordonian children as well as their families and he wondered what would become of them if he and the others were really found out.

"Yeah, not good, I know," Mekial went on, reading Link's countenance. "Brent suggested we should try to relocate after you guys get back tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Mekial stared at him. "You're going to the Fairy, remember? So you can stop being like all…" He made a vague gesture to Link's entire being. "_This_."

Link looked down at himself as if to find what Mekial was implicating, but then a split second later he understood. Or rather, he remembered.

"Oh…" He looked up. "Right."

"Yeah. Which reminds me, Ren said you guys are going to be leaving early. You're okay with staying up?"

"I'll be fine," Link assured him. "I'm not tired."

Mekial shrugged again. "Okay. So, what're you going to do now?"

Link didn't respond immediately, but instead drew back to contemplate an answer. "Maybe I'll just…watch." He inclined his head to the pond and understanding what he meant, Mekial nodded.

"Okay. Watch a master at work!" Then he took a stance and raised his arms, preparing to wave them over the water's surface to draw up yet another tendril of the pond.

No sooner had he taken this pose did Link's head suddenly spin and his vision blur away the present to give him yet another misted memory: this time it was of Mekial, standing by a shoreline and waving his arms over the edge of the ocean. The water licked and lapped at the sand by his boots as he moved, rushing in and out in time with his hands…

Link blinked the image away just as another tube of water streamed into Mekial's palms. Truthfully, he could not remember where or when the sight of Mekial standing near the ocean had occurred.

It had to be a little less than an hour later when Mekial became fatigued, worn out from having exerted so much magic in such a short time. Kicking his small pile of ice cubes back into the pond he announced that he would go to bed and, figuring that there was nothing left to do in the village at that time, Link decided that he would do the same.

It was difficult to tell when morning arrived after he had turned in, but when his ears picked up the sounds of shuffling footsteps and mingled voices, Link figured that the time to awaken was now. So he climbed out of his bed in the Elde Inn and journeyed to the lobby, where he found Brent, Midna and Zelda seated at one of the dining tables.

"Good morning, Link," Zelda greeted politely as he approached. "Did you…sleep well?"

"I think so," Link replied. Though it had not felt like a long time, he sincerely did believe that he had gotten the most out of his rest.

Satisfied with his answer, Zelda sat back in her seat. "That is…good."

Midna smiled at the two of them, like a mother that was proud to see her children communicate with one another. "Today's the day, you two. When we get back here you'll finally be yourselves again."

At this declaration Zelda lowered her eyes to the table with her hands tightly clasped together. "…I am nervous," she confessed quietly, and she raised her eyes to the kind ruler. "My chest feels…fluttery."

"There's no reason to feel nervous," Midna assured her. "I'm pretty sure the Fairy's a nice person. Right, Link?" She looked at him and his eyes flicked between her and Zelda hurriedly, his mind working futilely to find out if he had ever laid eyes on a Fairy to confirm Midna's statement.

"Just agree," Brent muttered quietly.

"Yes," Link answered immediately. "Fairies are…good." Suddenly his mind jumbled and struck him with the image of a winged woman standing in the center of an underground pool. Gradually the sight grew choppy as the woman strode towards him, a soft smile spreading across her glowing face as she raised a hand to cup his cheek –

"And this Fairy is one of the best," Midna said, shattering Link's already broken recollection. His eyes moved over to Zelda, who nodded faintly and returned Midna's smile with a faint one of her own.

"Where's Dijonay?" Link asked, becoming aware of the girl's absence and looking over at Brent.

"Bathroom."

"You're leaving _now_?"

All eyes rose to the balcony over the inn's dining room at the new voice, where the chandelier illuminated Mekial's face hanging over the banister. His eyes were squinted with exhaustion as he stared down at them, forcing his misty vision to define each of their faces.

"When Dijonay gets here at least," Brent called up to him. "We should be back in time for breakfast."

"What time is it?" the child asked groggily, hanging over the handrail and trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"I wanna say six," Brent answered. "But I could be wrong."

"Six… It feels like four." Mekial gripped the railing and squinted down at them again. "How can you be so awake?"

"It's called not sleeping," Brent answered casually. "I've pulled all-nighters before."

"Still…" Mekial withdrew his head when a door creaked open behind him, and his next words informed the group below who it was that was arriving, "Hi, Ren."

"Why are you up so early…" the girl grumbled before her face appeared over the rail. She peered down into the lobby and rubbed her face. "Oh…you're leaving."

"Sorry to have woken you up," Midna said apologetically. "We wanted to leave quietly so you guys could rest."

"It's okay…" Renée yawned loudly, then nudged her brother and pointed to the stairs to imply they should descend them. As they did, she lifted her voice to everyone again, "I wanted to see you guys off, anyway."

"I'm guessing Katrina's still asleep?" Brent asked as the two stepped upon the lower floor.

Renée suddenly looked uncomfortable at the mention of her roommate. "Yeah… But I don't think it's going too well." Her face saddened. "Up until a couple of hours ago she sounded like she was having nightmares."

"Oh…" Brent drew his eyes away thoughtfully.

"I am sorry to have kept you waiting…" Dijonay's high tone sounded from the head of the stairs and she trailed off when her eyes fell upon Renée and Mekial, who turned to her simultaneously.

"You seem to be doing better than yesterday," Renée observed as Dijonay descended the steps. The girl looked at her quizzically.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" Renée yawned again. "You looked kind of uptight yesterday…"

"Oh…" Dijonay's face fell, but then she quickly covered it up. "It is nothing to worry about. I am all right."

"Yeah, and make sure she comes back all right, too," Mekial reminded Brent sternly, who looked a bit amused by how seriously the boy took his work as a bodyguard.

"C'mon, Mekial, can't you have _some_ kinda faith in me?"

"He's just showing he cares," Renée spoke up, patting her brother on the shoulder. "That's his way of saying 'come back safely'."

"Aw," Brent smiled and clutched his heart, and his voice broke with falsified emotion. "I'm _touched_."

Mekial let out something between a laugh and a scoff.

"Please, do not worry Mekial," Dijonay reassured him, gaining his attention. "I will return safely."

"Yeah…" Mekial scratched the back of his head and averted his eyes. "Otherwise _I'll_ be the one pushin' up daisies…"

"All right." Midna rose from her seat. "I think we should get going now, before it gets too late. Sooner we get this done the better after all."

"Right." Brent scooted his seat back and got to his feet, as did Link and Zelda.

The cold air of the darkened world blew into all of them as they walked outside, where the humans discovered Midna's bodyguards to be awaiting them in the center of the main road. Midna took a position in between them and refaced Brent, Link, Zelda and Dijonay as they came near to her; Renée and Mekial remained on the inn's front porch.

"Stay safe," Renée burst suddenly, gripping the railing and leaning forward so that her voice could better carry over to them.

As Midna raised an arm to the air before her, the Grell crackling in the bracelet on her wrist, Brent and Dijonay looked back at Renée.

"We'll be fine," the Hylian called up to his friend, smiling confidently. Beside him Dijonay nodded as her lips pulled upward in agreement.

Renée's shoulders loosened and she managed to nod back, then she turned her eyes to Link and Zelda, who were patiently waiting for the portal to form.

"Link," she said and with his ears tingling he turned to see her. "And Princess." Zelda also turned. "Um…we'll see you guys when you get back." Renée's fingers tightened around the wooden railing and her eyes brimmed with assertion as she spoke again, "When you're whole again."

Link nodded plainly while Zelda smiled gratefully.

Then the air rang with a heavy _crack_ and a bolt of blue light shot out of Midna's bracelet. Then another flash came and another, bringing with it a symphony of crackling snaps that littered the atmosphere. As the jagged streaks of light jumped about the space around them one particularly thick ray snagged onto nothing and dragged downward, drawing a misshapen white line through the air.

Wind erupted from the portal as soon as it opened, blowing into the small group and tousling their hair and clothing. The wider the gateway got the brighter the light emanating from it became, until soon the entire road was bathed in an ethereal, aquamarine glow.

One by one those upon the main road entered the floating doorway, squinting in its bright light as they strode forth and vanished into its depths. Silently Mekial and Renée watched them, shielding their eyes against every spontaneous flash that the portal released with each entrant and blocking their faces with every gale that followed.

Midna's bodyguards strode through last, ducking into the whirling door and vanishing in a great flash of white light. Sensing that there were no others that would be stepping through after them the portal expanded slightly then spun shut, leaving the main road of Kakariko Village deathly silent.

With both hands gripping the deck's railing Renée stared at the empty path silently, and then bowed her head with a heavy sigh.

"So that's it, huh?" Mekial asked, though judging by his tone he was not particularly looking for an answer.

Renée raised her head to the torchlit path as a steady wind whisked through her hair. "Yeah…" Her eyes tightened against the cold.

That was it.

* * *

With one leg extended and one knee up, Katrina sat against the outer wall of the sanctuary, plucking at her bowstring so that with each tug it unleashed a reverberating _twang_.

A couple of hours had passed since she had awoken, and it was at that time that Mekial had informed her that she had just barely missed the departure of Link and the others. The boy had then informed her that they all intended to come back in time for breakfast but, as far as Katrina knew, at least everyone in the village had eaten breakfast by now.

And Link, Zelda, Brent and Dijonay had yet to have returned.

Perhaps their trip was simply taking longer than they had thought, she reasoned. Even so, she was not at all worried. It was just a trip to see one of Hyrule's legendary Fairies after all; and after that, they could move on to the next step of their plan.

And when that time came, Katrina would be that much closer to avenging her family.

She stopped playing with the bowstring and her hand dropped into her lap.

Her family.

She had dreamt of them again last night, and the memory of their faces had seemed so vivid and realistic that it was almost as if she had really been with them once more. They had all looked so happy in her vision, smiling and laughing as if they had never been taken from her: her brother, Keagan, had been playing a game with their younger sister, Ellamae; her mother had been sewing a sweater for the upcoming winter; and her father, sitting beside her in the living room, had been explaining to her different ways she could practice with her bow…

But then flames had danced through their windows, shattering the panes and the room had quickly darkened. One by one the members of her family had vanished before her eyes, their screams resounding in her head, and a horde of Shadows had swept in, swarming around her and grabbing at every part of her: her arms, her legs and finally, her neck –

She had woken up crying, her heart in pieces and her mind spinning. With her hair splayed across her shoulders and her blankets askew she had curled up in the middle of the bed, hugging her knees to her face and torn by the fact that she was alone.

No mother for comfort.

No father for guidance.

No siblings for company.

No one.

She wanted them back – all of them. Behind her hard jade eyes she was crying, screaming and begging for the past to be undone. But it could not.

And yet there was still some sort of hope for her; there was still one way to fix it.

Clutching the end of her bow the Corvenian got to her feet, then tucked the weapon into her quiver.

Her family's murderer would die at her hands.

She swore it.

"…So, they left this morning, huh?"

"Yeah. Really early."

Katrina's ears picked up the starting conversation over by the fountain, and upon taking a few steps into the main road she pinpointed Renée and Ashei standing at the edge of the body of water.

"They said they'd be back by breakfast," the Arkanian went on.

"That's pretty soon," Ashei observed. "And it's kind of way passed breakfast."

"I know…" Renée heaved a sigh. "I just hope they're okay."

"They should be fine," Ashei reassured her. "They're all able fighters, yeah?"

"Yeah…" Renée pulled her eyes from the fountain to look at her new accomplice. "That's true…"

Tuning out the rest of their words, Katrina refaced the village.

The roads were not very crowded, save a few adults that were gathered in scattered pairs of discussion. Some of the Hyrulean soldiers were among them as well: there was Captain Regal and General Falon, along with General Bourke who was engaged in animated conversation with Colin's sister, who appeared to be greatly amused by whatever it was he was saying.

On the front steps of Malo Mart Mekial was with two of the other village children, Beth and Talo. They were watching Mekial excitedly as he pulled bits of earth out of the ground and formed them into shapes and creatures, working off of their enthusiasm as he did so.

"Make that bird-looking thing again!" Talo cried, beaming, after Mekial dropped the soil that he had just formed into a wild boar.

"This one?" Summoning the dirt once more, Mekial forced it to take on the shape of a kargorok. Talo released a shout of awe while Beth clapped her hands in applause.

Katrina diverted her eyes to the rest of the community, letting them glaze across the landscape until she started to amble forward with no particular destination in mind.

"So what's the plan for when they get back?" Ashei asked as she and Renée started away from the spring.

"I don't really know," Renée admitted. "Brent thinks we should relocate."

Ashei tipped her chin in understanding. "Because of that fifth soldier."

Renée nodded. "Yeah. But he had an injury so I still don't get how he could have gotten away so fast –"

_Thump_.

Renée cut herself off and she and Ashei looked up, directing their eyes to the source of the sudden noise. Upon finding it, their stomachs lurched.

For there, by the edge of the spring was a body, lying in a crumpled heap and garbed in Hyrulean armor. His familiar but colorless face was turned up to the two warriors and his eyes were dark and empty, as if he were peering straight through them.

It was Private Richter, Renée realized, and her throat clenched.

He was dead.

Fighting down bile Renée looked up to find a reason as to why the soldier was there, or even why he was no longer alive. Guided by torchlight her eyes caught onto an armored and silver-haired woman standing by the edge of the main road, her crimson eyes blazing and one hand clasped around the hilt of a slim sword.

No sooner had Renée seen her did Alexandria launch forward, her sword raised, and behind her the darkness ruptured, birthing an army of Shadows that swarmed in after her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

It was not until the Grell's light had died and the winds had faded into soft, cold breezes did Dijonay lower her arms from her eyes. Once she had she blinked furiously, straining to adjust to the dark world that she had reemerged in. A few seconds passed before she was able to perceive the outline of closely set trees, their trunks thick and branches bare, as though they were standing in the midst of a chilly, winter night. Dijonay observed them quietly before she lowered her eyes to what was before her.

All that surrounded her was faint, but she could still spot the scraggly, naked shoots of bushes that covered the floor and the black soil of the dry earth. Somewhere to her left something moved and she turned quickly to find what it was.

It was only Link and, like her, he was studying the dreary scenery. Then looking down he reached into his belt pouch and from it retrieved his lantern, which he switched on. Instant light swam forth, illuminating the arid, umber ground as well as everyone's faces.

"This way," Midna ordered, taking no notice of Link's light source as she started towards a specific direction.

Link raised his caged candle to see her intended path and the orange glow of his light fell upon a trail that meandered between the naked trees and sloped down an incline before curving around a mountain. As Midna followed it he fell into step behind her with the others trailing after him.

Towards the back of the party Dijonay cast quick and wary glances at the trees and kept close to Brent, who seemed to take no notice of her. Only once did his eyes stray from the path before him, and that was when a faint sting erupted on the side of his leg. But as soon as he glanced down the pain disappeared, and so he ignored it.

Zelda lingered a few paces behind Link, watching the path silently as she waited for any sign of their arrival at some kind of fountain. Ahead of her Link's lantern clinked quietly as he walked, its bouncing light defining the forms of dead trees and bushes as they followed the winding trail.

A long while had passed before Brent suddenly looked up, his ears tingling as they picked up a barely perceptible sound. Vainly he struggled to pinpoint where it was coming from, but with it being so faint it was difficult to locate.

Dijonay noticed his distracted demeanor and looked around as well, though could not find anything peculiarly strange about the area, save the foreboding shadows that Link's lantern could not illuminate.

Then suddenly, Zelda stopped walking.

"Princess?" Dijonay stopped short behind her, and at her voice Link halted and turned his head until he could see them out of his side vision. Midna and her guards also stopped. "Is something wrong?"

No sooner had she asked this did Link suddenly turn his eyes to the area, as though hunting for something. But it was not something seeable that he hunted for.

Distantly, he could hear what sounded like a gentle voice humming a melody. But it was so quiet that for a moment he wondered if it was his imagination, or if it was simply the wind blowing. But when Zelda spoke in response to Dijonay's inquiry, he decided that his sensitive ears were not wrong.

"I hear…" Zelda's eyes rolled across the dead forest, "…music…"

"Music?" Dijonay focused all of her energy on her ears, as though that would help to heighten their ability. "…I do not hear anything."

"I hear it," Link piped up.

"Same." Brent peered down the path beyond Link. "I think we're almost there."

Midna nodded. "Yeah," she confirmed. "Just a bit further." Picking up lost momentum, she continued down the path.

The melody grew in volume as they went, until it soon increased to a pitch that even Dijonay was able to hear. As she strolled along she sent her eyes this way and that, comforted by the soothing melody and yet disturbed by how it seemed to sound from everywhere. No sooner had this feeling coursed through her did she bump into something and with a tiny yelp she staggered back.

She had bumped into Link she noted, peering at his back by aid of his lamp. He had stopped walking.

Beside him Zelda had done the same, her blue eyes large and lips parted in a soft gasp as she stared at what lay before her. Brent and Dijonay drew nearer to find what had captivated them, and their mouths fell open in unFalon.

It was grass.

"But…the entire place has been dead up to here," Brent murmured, sagging to the ground and running his fingers along the tops of the short blades. He withdrew his hand. "It's soft."

"Brent…" He looked up at Dijonay when she called him, finding that she was pointing at something. "Look…!"

Rising to his feet and following her indication, he laid eyes on two large trees that stood on either side of the path, each positioned before a mountain wall and their stout trunks splitting into several branches that ascended into the sky.

But unlike the trees they had passed thus far these plants were fully clothed, with thick layers of leaves and white splotches of delicate, four-petal flowers. Some of the blossoms had drifted to the beauteous grass below, where they were scattered around the trunks' bases like a layer of flower petals decorated a wedding aisle.

A bulky covering of vines and moss snaked up the rock walls behind the trees and stopped short a couple of feet above their crowns, giving way to the mountain's coarse texture. The great wall actually appeared to stretch out to the sides as far as they could see, and looked to consist of multiple stones and large boulders, all of which barely concealed the entrance of a small, dark cave.

Link's eyes wandered towards the black hole in the mountainside, his ears tingling as they reconnected to the melody he had been hearing since he had arrived. There was no doubting it; the sound was coming out of the cave.

"Are these…dogwood trees?" Zelda inquired softly, crossing the patch of grass to place her slender hand upon one of the evergreen plants. She tilted her head back to view it in its entirety from where she stood. "It is…beautiful."

"They're the closest things to the illustration that was in Elam's book," Midna informed them all, eyeing the trees respectably. "And there seems to be a song coming from in here, too." Her gaze dropped to the tunnel entrance. "My best guess is that it would be the Fairy singing. Probably the same lyrics of the tune in that book." She refaced them, her arms folded. "Take Link and Zelda through here," she said to Brent and Dijonay. "Once they're back to normal, come right back here and we'll get going."

"You are not coming?" Dijonay picked out, rather surprised.

"I wish I could," Midna stated, her voice contrite, "but I can't. For fear of my safety, my palace administrator had me swear that I would go no farther than this."

"Oh…" Dijonay tried not to look disappointed. Truthfully, she would have liked the company of Midna's bodyguards – their mere, daunting presence made her feel safer.

"Still, there should be no trouble," Midna promised firmly. "But I advise you all to be careful; this place is a bit unstable. Try not to do anything that would cause a cave in. I didn't take you here directly with the Grell because I thought our arrival would cause one."

"A Great Fairy is in a dangerous place like that?" Brent asked interestedly.

"I think there actually might have been a rockslide on top of the fountain years ago," Midna guessed. "But I'm not practiced in that field."

Brent shrugged. "Fair enough. Well, we'll see you when we get back."

Midna nodded. "Be careful."

"Same to you."

Midna took a few steps back, granting the small group full access to the passageway. Link went forward first, his face set, and Zelda moved in next. Brent followed and with one last look at Midna and her guards, Dijonay did the same.

Once they had all disappeared from her sight Midna heaved a dark sigh and sat down on a flat stone beneath one of the dogwood trees. When Link's lantern was completely drawn into the darkness of the cave she shivered and wrapped her cloak around herself in an effort to fight off the enclosing chill.

Moments later a faint whispering came to her ears and looking up, the princess found that a light rain had begun to fall.

Releasing another sigh she leaned forward, pressed her elbow into her knee and rested her cheek in her hand. The rain's strength quickly increased after that, managing to slip through the tree's branches and plop onto her crown.

She peeked up at the awning of leaves grudgingly, then sat up a bit straighter when her guards sidled closer and pushed some of the branches together, creating a natural umbrella for her.

To that Midna smiled gratefully.

* * *

Renée swept her arm back and unsheathed her sword in time to block Alexandria's first strike, then hastily shifted to block the next and the next. Out of the side of her eye she spotted Ashei duck beneath the swipe of a Shadow and impale another one's eye with an arrow but she didn't focus on it, instead keeping her attention locked on the red-eyed menace before her.

The screams of the villagers rang in her ears, sending chills down her spine that seemed to magnify each time she blocked Alexandria's attacks with a shrill _clang_. But still Renée fought, recalling her training from her time in Taranis and working to make sure she didn't receive a fatal injury.

Suddenly Alexandria's sword retreated and shot forward. Fortunately Renée saw the movement in time and barely escaped the attack, but still received a blow to her arm.

With a small gasp she stumbled back and in that instant managed to perceive just how many Shadows had arrived: they were still swarming into the village, shrieking madly as they groped for the throats of anyone nearby. Flashes of light told her that her brother had taken to fending the beasts off with his light magic but the constant screams of humans reminded her that the event was still dire.

She wondered if any of them would actually make it out of this one this time; but she didn't have much to time to dwell on that hopeless thought before Alexandria rushed her again.

Katrina stumbled around in an attempt to escape the mayhem, hands over her head as she ducked and ran for shelter. With her senses disoriented by the villagers' screaming and the generals' hollers for the civilians to take refuge she tripped and fell, her hair spilling across her shoulders as the last images of her home barraged her behind her clenched eyes: all the fire, all the corpses, the endless wave of Shadows…

Her eyes snapped open and she raised her head, her wide, jade eyes darting around the main road from her position near the inn's deck. The Hyrulean generals were not too far from her, slashing at the black beasts that dove towards them and holding them off long enough for the people behind them to rush to safety.

Katrina watched those people fearfully, their eyes wide and mouths opened in terror, and wished that she could join them; that she, too, could get away from it all. But her limbs were too rigid, too stiff – she could barely tremble.

Something rough and scratchy brushed against her neck and in the next instant squeezed, nearly choking her.

She gasped pitifully, her eyes bulging as she was hoisted into the sky. With every inch of her body shaking she tried twisting to regain freedom, but just as she made one small movement the Shadow's grip tightened and with a faint cry her hands shot up to clench its bony hand. Shuddering and yet barely able to even squirm she tried to pry the beast's hand off of her, but its clutch only tightened.

Wheezing as she dangled out of the monster's hold she tried opening her eyes next, but could barely gain a furry view of the chaotic invasion. With her head spinning her chest heaved and she kicked once – frantically – then hung there, limp and dazed as her muscles nearly melted.

But all at once the pain ended and for what felt like a blessed eternity she was consumed by perfect, tranquil weightlessness. Then with a grunt she crumpled against something.

Groaning and her head swirling madly Katrina grasped at her neck, her face scrunched, and as if she had tuned back into it the noises of the victimized village blew clear into her ears, stabbing the sides of her head and causing her to cringe.

_"Get up!"_

Forcing her eyes open she swept the area with her gaze and found that she was lying flat on the ground, her hair splayed around her and her arms and legs bent crookedly as if she were an abandoned doll. Dropping her eyes she found that the Shadow that had grabbed her had been felled, with black blood oozing from a hole that ran straight through its torso.

"Can you stand?!"

Someone gripped her arm and lifted her off the ground enough for her head to not be craned at an uncomfortable angle. Katrina stared at him fuzzily, his face nothing more than a furry mass before it gained detailed definition.

"If you can't fight then get out of here!" Bourke yelled, pulling her into a sitting position. "Head to the bomb shop!"

He left her before she could reply, throwing himself back into battle and thrusting his sword into the head of another one of the beasts as it flew towards him. Droplets of black blood spewed everywhere, and though some splattered against his face he disregarded it, and after wrenching his sword back he made to turn and prepare for another fight, only to receive a heavy blow to his back that shoved him straight into the dirt.

He stayed there for a moment, dazed as a powerful sore spot grew in his spine, before he was soon lifted into the air and flung across the road, where he crashed into the wooden stairs of one of the village houses. With the force behind his weight the steps were instantly crushed and he lay against the debris, stunned and aching as he tried to recover.

After journeying all the way from the northern mountains to Kakariko Village, Bourke and the other generals had learned that the Shadows were not as invincible as they had previously thought: all they needed was to be caught off guard and by then they were as easy to take down as any other monster. Darkness had been their cover out in the fields and even with their torches fighting them had been difficult.

But this village was well-lit and each Shadow was easy to differentiate from another. All that truly troubled him now was that there were so many of them; never had he thought that these creatures could swarm and invade like this. The most he and his allies had handled was one or two at a time.

Strenuously he forced his blue eyes open and peered at the village through blurry vision. Even as he did so, a great cloud of darkness flew towards him with one weathered, crusted hand extended, and latched it around his throat.

Like Katrina he barely had the chance to react before the beast held him aloft, its rough fingers prepared to curl into his flesh. But it had barely held him in the air for a second before the end of a sword protruded from its stomach.

Roaring angrily the Shadow tossed Bourke to the side, leaving him to slam into the ground with a pained grunt. Blearily he opened his eyes to find who had rescued him, and shifted his gaze just in time to see the wounded Shadow whirl around and backhand Falon so hard that he face-planted the earth.

Bourke swore as audibly as he was able and planted his palms on the ground, then forced himself up to at least his hands and knees. His eyes flicked about for his sword and he soon found it: it had fallen out of his hand when he had been blown into the stairs but was yet close enough that he merely had to reach out and grab it.

He snatched it up without a second's hesitation and climbed to his feet, scouting the raging battlefield for any sign of his older comrade. Amidst the swirling black clouds he finally found him, completely surrounded by an enclosing crowd of the dark fiends.

Readying his weapon Bourke moved in, intending to dive right into the middle of the swarm and help Falon fight his way out. But he had only taken a step forward when another ebony cloud slithered past his face, blocking his path.

Grinding his teeth the general retreated a bit, his eyes following the gliding smoke until it morphed into the form of yet another Shadow.

He cursed obscenely and brought his sword down in a diagonal cut. To his surprise the monster gripped the incoming weapon with one hand and pulled it off track, immobilizing the general, and with its other hand it bared its nails and struck him across the face, leaving four deep scratches and sending him stumbling to the side.

Still Bourke maintained a good hold on his sword and fastened his eyes on the Shadow, delivering a glare that contained all the anger that he could muster. Yet just as he prepared to strike it down another Shadow swooped in between them, forcing him to reject his prior idea and dodge to the side.

From this position his eyes moved up, once more finding Falon amidst the crowd of Shadows. Only just as he spotted him the man's sword was knocked out of his hand and sent flying into the side of a house, then a black hand coiled into a fist and rammed into his stomach. Choking, he instantly doubled-over.

Without thoughtBourke launched towards his senior, this time aiming to strike the Shadow down from behind. Succeeding in sneaking up on it, he ran his blade through the Shadow's back, causing it to emit such an inhuman scream that his ears rang. Ignoring its howl he pulled his sword out and cut into it again, knocking it out of his way, and looked for Falon once more.

A yell revealed his location.

With his heart jumping Bourke's eyes skipped to the left, and to his horror he found Falon being lifted into the air by one of the dark monsters. His strength was still present, made known by the frenzied kicking of his feet as he gripped the Shadow's hand, and his wrinkled face was scrunched in agony.

Bourke moved instantly, ready to come to his rescue, but at the sound of a sharp _snap_ he stopped, his stomach flipping.

Falon went completely limp in the Shadow's hand and his arms flopped down. In turn the monster lowered him closer to its black eye sockets, as though to gain a better view of him, and then it tossed him into the road as if he were a broken toy.

Bourke's gaze followed, and upon seeing the awkward pose Falon's neck was in his eyes tightened, then took another sweep of the area.

There was just too many of them.

The Shadow rounded on him next and with a husky growl, it soared forth.

Katrina brought a hand to her neck and rubbed it. The Shadow's fingers had formed slight grooves in her skin but there was nothing else. No marks to insinuate that she had been mildly poisoned.

_It's okay._

Her hand slipped down into her lap.

She was okay…

_"Momma!"_

Katrina started.

_"Momma!"_

The Corvenian's widened eyes shot to her left and locked onto a small figure that was stumbling towards the north end of the village on the other side of the road. It was a little girl, dark-haired and green-eyed, with ears that were slowly extending into points…

"E-Ellie?!"

Just shouting her younger sister's name nearly made Katrina go weak again and tears sprang into her eyes. With her heart pounding, she scrambled to her feet.

_"Momma!"_ the girl wailed again, tripping over lumps in the road as she scuttled in search of a haven. _"Papaaa!"_

"Elamae!" Katrina started towards the girl, opening her arms to grab her and pull her from danger. She couldn't lose Elamae.

She couldn't.

_Please._

It swooped in before she could take a single step.

And in the span of an instant the Shadow clawed into the child's back, hitting her with enough strength to send her skidding into the dirt face-first.

And it was there that the girl remained, unmoving, as a thick puddle of blood grew from the slashes in her back.

"E-Ellie…" Katrina's voice came out hoarse and she froze, stunned as she stared at the girl's inert body from across the road. Hot, relentless tears surged down her cheeks.

The Shadow that had struck the girl continued to glide forward, sweeping the town with its vision in search of another target. Almost instantly, its eyes fell on Katrina.

The creature made eye contact with her for what felt like a lifetime, its misty cloak swirling about its feet as it slowed to a halt and shifted so that it could move towards her.

"E-Ellie…" Katrina took an unsteady step backward as her world spun. "N-no…"

Again her voice lowered to a croak and her knees wobbled, threatening to buckle and send her tumbling to the ground; or perhaps even down and out of reality, out of this twisted world that had taken so much from her.

_I lost her…_

Again her mind was flooded, reminding her of that horrible night on the Corva Isles. The night her entire family had been slain –

_I lost her…!_

Her tears fell faster.

Identifying her as easy prey the Shadow picked up speed, unleashing a high-pitched screech that would have shattered glass. The terrible noise called Katrina back to the present and with her muscles limp and her mind numbed she gawked at it, waiting for its cold, bony hands to close around her throat.

Slowly she made to close her eyes, so that at the very least she could shut out the familiar devastation before Death welcomed her into its icy arms. But her eyes snagged onto the dead girl across the road, lying there in a pool of her innocent blood.

And feeling shot through her like whitewater.

Screaming in furious defiance Katrina flexed her arms, forcing her silver knives to extend from the sheaths beneath her sleeves. Anguished tears flowed from her reddened eyes and she drove one of her blades into the Shadow's face, causing it to let loose an agonized shriek that was clipped short when Katrina brought in her other knife to hack into its face.

She didn't let up when the monster yelled again but kept on slicing, cutting and clawing at anything she could get. By her fifth strike another Shadow slammed into her side, bowling her over and leaving her victim to wilt, clutching its bleeding face.

Katrina shook her head as she pushed herself up to one knee and for a brief moment her head cleared, reminding her that she was facing the same army that had destroyed her homeland, and had nearly destroyed her with it.

There was no possible way for her to win.

But as soon as she lifted her face she saw the fallen child and her anger remounted, splintering all reason. Leaping to her feet she rushed back into the fight, knives whirling. And in that moment, she didn't care if she died.

She only knew that the Shadows couldn't have their way again.

They couldn't.

* * *

The singing grew ever louder as Link, Zelda, Brent and Dijonay traveled farther into the tunnel, which narrowed in some places, forcing them to shift into a single-file line, while in others they barely had the room to walk in a small cluster. Water dripped from stalactites, plopping into small puddles in time with the soothing song and everywhere small, black animals squealed and soared off as the humans drew near.

Working by an instinct he didn't even know he had Link held an arm out for Zelda to stop and he reached for his sword, eyeing the creatures carefully and waiting for them to come closer.

Seeing what he was looking at Brent put a hand on his shoulder. "They look harmless," he said and as Link loosened his stance he dropped his hand to his side.

Sure enough the simple bats kept far away from the intruding party, huddling in the dark or burrowing deeper into the tunnel to assure their safety.

Seeing that this proved Brent to be right, Link released his sword hilt.

Returning to their trek, the four soon came to a wide cavity in the depths of the cavern and with short, steady steps they descended a steep hill that led to the center of the area. It was here that the strange song sounded with the utmost most clarity, and the lyrics were so defined that without even realizing it, Zelda translated a small part of it: _"…beneath the dogwood trees I lay…"_

"It is a very pretty song," Dijonay thought aloud, her eyes wandering around the cave. "I wonder what she is saying…" Trailing off, she forced her gaze to double-back to a spot just beyond the reach of Link's lantern.

"Dijonay?" Zelda studied her concernedly, intimidated by the fear that had flashed through the girl's eyes.

"N-no, it is nothing," the girl stammered. "It was just my eyes. I…am not particularly fond of dark places."

"Well, luckily it looks like a straight path," Brent observed, crossing the hollow to examine a low, connecting passage and his next words came out at a mutter, "…Looks a bit tight…" He ducked down a little so that he could see into it. "But it should be okay." Straightening up, he turned to look at everyone else. "Let's try this way."

Link and Zelda exchanged fleeting, emotionless looks and then Link marched forward and crouched in front of the small tunnel with his hand on its ceiling. Then he crawled inside, moving with his back slightly hunched so that his head would not scrape on the roof of the passage. Zelda raised the hem of her dress and crept in after him and Dijonay followed. Brent went in after her, though not before that same sting from earlier stabbed his leg.

But like before, as soon as it came, it went.

The tunnel was a bit wide when the group first entered it but the deeper they went the narrower it became, until the four were nearly crushed between its walls. Their movement slowed by this they twisted to sidle through sideways, squeezing between the stones and clenching the walls to keep from slipping on loose rocks.

All the while the music grew louder, streaming from the exit of the passage like a beckoning hand. Steadily they followed it, crawling and shifting forth until finally the tunnel opened up, leaving them standing on a natural trail that sloped up the mountain's outer face. A steady downpour of rain pelted them here and Dijonay shuddered almost immediately.

At the front of the group Link raised his lantern to see the side of the great, rocky hill. Surprisingly the drop was short although it was steep and it led down to another path that snaked downward and out of sight. From where he was standing it was difficult to tell where it went, though he presumed he would not need to worry about it; it was not as though it assured a path to the exit.

"Up here."

Brent's voice called Link back and he whirled around to find that he was climbing up the sheer, winding trail behind him. Attaching his lantern to his belt so that it dangled by his waist Link went up behind him, knees bent to allow his hands to grip the path in case he were to slip.

At the head of the trail they came upon yet another cavern that tunneled back into the mountain. Like the path outside it ascended, though it was not as steep, and towards the end it narrowed so much that the group had to bend over a little so that they could keep going. But regardless of their change in posture the track ended abruptly at a wall made by fallen rocks.

"Just our luck," Brent grumbled, running his hand along the stones before taking a step back. "A dead end."

"Is there no other way?" Dijonay asked, looking around the crumbled path. "I thought it was supposed to lead straight?"

"I don't know, I thought it did." Brent stooped to examine the rubble then he looked towards the ceiling. "This must've been the serious part of the cave-in."

"But the music sounds like it's coming from this way…" Dijonay murmured sadly.

As they continued to study the blockage, Link's eyes descended to the base of the pile, where he could hear the faintest sound of water trickling. Lowering himself to one knee he peered down at the earth and bringing his lamp closer, he spotted a thin stream of water running out of a tiny crack beneath the wreckage. Now that he was focusing on it, he found that the small thread of liquid actually spanned the entirety of the passage.

"There's water," he said and distracted from his observations by this, Brent looked at him.

"Huh?"

"Water." Link pointed and Brent's eyes trailed along his indication to find what he was speaking of.

"Then, are we close?" Zelda asked, her tone rising in a bit of hope.

"Maybe," Brent answered, standing as tall as the cave would allow. "But I still don't see how we can get through." An abrupt hissing noise caught his attention and he turned to find where it was coming from. His eyes bulged. "Whoa, _Link! _That's a _very _bad idea!"

Moving on impulse he snatched the lit bomb from Link's hands and pinched the fuse, then quickly waved his hand in the air to cool his fingers off. "Think, man, please?" he begged, rubbing his hand on the side of his pants. "This place is unstable, remember? What were you planning to do, blow a perfect hole through the wall so we could get through?!"

Link stared at him matter-of-factly. "Yes."

"…I don't think that's gonna work. Here, put this away." Brent handed the bomb back to Link who tucked it away obediently. "We need a practical way of getting through, not some way that'll blow our guts onto the walls."

"I believe that…Link was just trying to help," Zelda spoke up in the hero's defense.

"I know," Brent relented. "But it'd help if he'd be more thoughtful about his…help. But I guess that'll happen when you're back to…" He fell quiet, his face pensive as he frowned at something near the edge of the orange lamplight. "What's…?" Shifting to a crouch Brent waddled towards a corner of the area and then, falling on one knee, he peered down at something.

Carefully he raised a hand and gripped a part of the wall, then applied a bit of force to move it off to the side. But instead of sliding out of his way as he had intended the stone tumbled out of his reach, following a sloping path that curved down into a hidden passageway. The pile of rocks that had been beneath the stone crumbled backward as well, all of them toppling down the natural slide with a thunderous rumble.

"What is that?" Dijonay asked, straining to lean forward and see what Brent had found as Link snatched up his lantern to hold it near the new path.

"A way down," Brent answered and with a little hop he switched from a kneel to a sitting position with his legs poking into the tunnel. With a light push, he swiftly vanished from sight.

"Brent?" Dijonay called worriedly at the sound of a faint crash that soon followed. All that answered was Link's crackling flame and she swallowed. "Brent –"

"It's okay!" Brent's voice sounded far, and Dijonay figured the slope went down much farther than she had once thought. "Come on down!"

Returning Zelda's anxious look Dijonay squeezed forward and sat at the head of the slope. Then, sucking in her breath she pushed, only to let out a gasp when she descended almost immediately. The slope was unnaturally smooth, permitting her a gentle fall as her body followed the slide's swirling shape, until it coughed her up so suddenly that she skittered forward.

"Careful." Brent caught her and raised his eyes to the mouth of the slope, which was nothing more than a dark hole in the wall upon this lower level, as amber light brightened within it. Link emerged seconds later, stumbling to keep his balance and he successfully regained it just as Zelda bumped into him.

Dijonay straightened her posture and as she did, she lifted her eyes to view the new area that they now stood in.

All around them an otherworldly, sapphire light glimmered and by lifting her eyes to the ceiling of the grotto she discovered the reason: all along the roof there were crystals, each of them giving off a powerful, mystic glow, and hundreds more of them were scattered throughout the cavern, clumped around stalagmites and stalactites or standing near natural archways that sectioned off each part of the cave. Puddles of water littered the ground, their sizes ranging from shallow depths to wide wells, and they all reflected the crystals so wonderfully that the earth glittered at their feet. The air was warm as well, though not in a murky or dank way and Dijonay felt her nerves ease up.

Link switched off his lantern and tucked it into his bag and Zelda took a few steps forward, her mouth hanging open as she surveyed the area. Quickly she stopped when her foot touched the surface of one of the puddles, sending wide rings rippling through it and causing the crystals' reflections to wink up at her.

"This is amazing…" Dijonay breathed, her eyes wide.

"And the music," Brent put in. "It's louder here."

Dijonay took her eyes off the grotto to look back at him and suddenly realized that he was right. All around her the voice was singing, though it no longer disturbed her by sounding from everywhere, as it had done earlier. Rather it was peaceful, relaxing even, and had there been a decent place to sit Dijonay figured she would have taken a nap right then and there.

_"…and come to me all you sad and worn; come now and don't delay…"_

"This way." Brent headed towards the nearest pair of sentinel stalagmites that were positioned along the uneven path, and the others fell into step behind him.

"…I wish Mekial could be here to see this," Dijonay thought aloud after a moment, skirting around large puddles and glancing into some of them just to see the crystals' likeness.

"Same for Ren," Brent said, following the trail as they passed out of the largest section of the grotto and onto a raised walkway that hugged close to the side of a rocky wall. Here the ceiling heightened and the crystals sparkled like far-off stars, letting their faces twinkle on the surface of a large body of water that had now taken the place of the rest of the ground. "She'd love to see this."

"If only we had a pictograph box," Dijonay said lightheartedly, holding her hands up in a way to suggest the hefty camera.

"'To Renée and Mekial: Wishing You Were Here!'" Brent added, pretending to hold a postcard. His smile faded. "But…I bet Ren wanted to come; you saw the look on her face when we left."

"Yes…" Dijonay dropped her camera-shaped hands as her face fell, and she turned her eyes to the glittering, black waters beside her.

Ahead of her Brent fell silent, then halted when he came to a break in the trail. After gauging the distance from where he was to where the path continued, he leaped across and then turned with a beckoning motion. "C'mon."

"Huh?" Dijonay looked down at the ebony water that separated them, and suddenly lost all interest in how the ceiling crystals smiled through it. "But that is…very far –"

The words had barely left her mouth before something flew by her and with a high-pitched yelp she ducked to the side, only to find that the blurred figure had been Link. Like Brent he landed on the other side of the break, which looked to be about four or five feet across, and he looked back to wait for either Zelda or Dijonay to do the same.

Dijonay looked over at the princess as if to gain some kind of support from her, but to her surprise the woman disappeared in a swirling flash of green light. Seconds later a soft breeze blew into Dijonay from the other side of the trail and whirling around, she found Zelda to be reappearing in the same light that had whisked her away.

Brent stood back and frowned at her. "Since when could you do that?"

Zelda simply regarded him with a curious look and a quiet raise of her shoulders.

Shaking his head, he returned his attention to Dijonay. "All right, c'mon Dijonay, you're up."

"But…that is far! And this water is deep…what if I do not make it across?"

"Then I'll catch you," Brent assured her. "Or, the princess could catch you with her flashing green lights."

"I don't know if we should bet on that," Link uttered quietly.

"Good point. Then I'll catch you!"

"You are sure?" Dijonay crept as close to the edge of the trail as she could, her arms tucked against her chest as she looked from Brent to the water nervously.

Brent spread his arms with a smile. "Positive."

Dijonay stopped for a moment, looking between him and a possible, embarrassing fall into the black water, and rested her eyes on him once more. Then she took a couple steps back, ran forward and jumped.

To her utmost horror Brent dropped his arms and started to turn away. Right when she released the first part of a scream he whipped back around and caught her, then pulled her away from the edge of the path and set her on her feet.

"You nearly dropped me!" Dijonay burst frantically, tearing herself away from him.

"But I didn't!" Brent protested, struggling to keep from grinning. But he failed miserably and let loose a mischievous laugh. "You should've seen your face –!"

"Do not do that again!" Dijonay huffed, scowling as a faint pink exploded on the surface of her cheeks.

"Aww, c'mon, a little water's not gonna hurt you."

"Still!"

"Hey," Brent shrugged with a cheesy smile. "I warned you, didn't I?"

Dijonay opened her mouth to retort but froze, her mind struggling to decipher what he meant. When she understood she straightened up and smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress.

"…I…" She looked away. "Yes. I suppose you did."

"Right, so it's all okay!" Brent exclaimed, smiling broadly. "You're not wet, and you're not hurt. So, consider this your first real experience of my sense of humor!"

"I cannot say I like your humor…"

"It'll grow on you."

Dijonay passed him a startled look that he didn't seem to fully notice. Lifting his eyes from her he looked at where the path curved around the wall. "All right, let's keep going."

He moved down the trail and Link and Zelda did the same, but Dijonay continued to stare at Brent with that same, astonished look before she shook herself out of it and hurried after them.

The further along this path they went the darker everything became, until it got to the point where Dijonay threw her eyes upward to see if the crystals were still there. To her relief they were but, unlike before, the light emanating from them was much weaker.

Only a few moments after she had made this observation they disappeared one by one until like before, they were left to trek forth in darkness. Despite that the song continued, growing ever louder until they easily figured that it was only a matter of time before they came upon the owner of the melodious voice.

Slowly the path climbed upward, bending around a corner of the rock wall and at its top the four came upon a natural-made corridor that stretched to their left and right. Smaller crystals were found here, situated along the edges of the trail and illuminating a stream of water that burbled through the tunnel.

At the head of the group Brent glanced down both ends of the passage, then led everyone towards the right.

Their boots sloshed through the water as they went and the crystals' reflections blinked merrily, sending sparkles of light dancing across their faces and the tunnel's ceiling. The song grew louder still and with her heart pounding Zelda noticed a circular exit at the end of the passage. There was a greater light shining beyond it and she figured that there had to be more crystals there that caused it.

Drawing a hand to her chest she swallowed and suddenly realized that she was trembling.

All through these caves she had been wondering if she would truly regain her memories or even if she would like who she had once been. From her hazy, choppy recollections she could only recall that her life as a princess had had a fair share of happy and grim times – but for some reason she felt as if those 'grim times' had been more frequent lately.

Would this Fairy of Regeneration prove that to her?

Her heartbeat quickened. She wanted to find out, and she wanted to find out now. She did not like it when her mind suddenly sent a random memory flickering through her dreams, or when her heart sent a spontaneous yet familiar emotion flitting through her. It was all so strange and abnormal – and she wanted it to end.

Viewing Link in her peripheral vision, she presumed that he felt the same way. Determination had long since settled across his countenance for the duration of their travel and still now he gazed ahead, his eyes fastened onto the tunnel's exit as they came nearer to it.

There was no need to be nervous, Zelda told herself, remembering Midna's words from before their departure. This was for their restoration. This was so they would be whole again.

And as of now, that was all she truly wanted.

Wordlessly the four stepped out of the tunnel and into the connecting, high-ceilinged chamber, squinting in the glare of light that resonated from its center. Zelda's eyes soon adjusted to the brilliance and her attention fell to a being that was standing in the middle of the light with her back turned to them.

Barefooted with a head of long, blue hair, the figure seemed to be standing on an invisible barrier that separated her from the surface of the deep waters. The blinding light they had seen was wafting off of her like a cool cloud and from her back large, translucent wings protruded, glittering as famously as the crystals in the connecting passage.

And it was by this passage that the travelers gaped at the hovering being, none of them daring to even budge an inch as she sang the final lyrics of her song in that same, ancient language:

_"…I pour out my love, for you; for you, my darling, my child."_

The Fairy of Regeneration turned to them, the last of her voice resounding throughout the cavern, and her pupiless, silver eyes dazzled as her childish face split into a smile.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Mekial dove to the side, dodging the Shadow's initial strike and he rolled across the ground, sending puffs of dirt into the air. Tumbling onto his back his eyes swiveled to fix onto the Shadow and muttering a quick incantation, he held his hand up.

Light erupted from his extremities and exploded above him, sending the Shadow careening backward in a wisp of darkness. Even as it disappeared Mekial scrambled to his feet, ducking beneath dark capes and clouds of mist and firing blasts of light over anything he saw as foreboding.

He was weakening and he knew it; after having battled so many of the endless flow of Shadows with no sign of their advance ever stopping, it was only a matter of time before he completely collapsed from exhaustion. Not even the small, magic-enhancing stone in his forehead could save him for much longer – it could only work off of whatever he had to give it, after all.

And he was running out of things to give.

Pivoting on the spot Mekial bent over, narrowly dodging another Shadow's sharp-nailed fingers. As he moved he whispered the verse of another spell and at its completion he clapped his hands together then extended them, his legs apart: from his palms erupted a powerful storm of wind that surged into all the dark creatures surrounding him, blowing them back enough for him to see what else was happening around him.

Near the fountain he could see Renée, who was now being aided by Ashei and Captain Regal as they battled with a silver-haired woman and a small battalion of her dark monsters. Peering over his shoulder gave him a view of Katrina, General Bourke and one other soldier, whom Mekial could faintly recall to be named Alan. Closer to him was another soldier, Turk, if Mekial remembered correctly.

Behind them a handful of villagers were still about, sprinting out of the chaos as quick as they could and yet here and there some of them were grabbed by Shadows who tried to haul them back into the battlefield. With the help of Katrina or the soldiers they managed to get away, only to have their escape start anew when another slew of Shadows would chase after them.

The beasts closed him in again then, cutting him off from all else. Realizing this, his concentration broke with a flash of panic and his thoughts scattered when something great slammed into his stomach.

The punch was so powerful that his feet left the ground for an instant and he wheezed, only to have the sound mutate into a surprised gasp when the Shadow grabbed him by the back of his clothing and hurled him into the stairs leading to Malo Mart. Some of the steps broke with the force of his impact, and he was left to sag into the opening he had made as if it were a squishy seat.

Groaning, Mekial could barely raise a hand to rub his pounding skull. His lips curled back, showing his clenched teeth, and soon a long and bony hand gripped the front of his shirt and lifted him out of the debris.

The boy peeked through squinted eyes, hoping against hope that a soldier had found him; but to his dismay it was another Shadow, peering at him through the black holes that substituted for its eyes. Slowly, almost tauntingly, it brought in its other hand to close it around the child's small throat.

Seeing the incoming limb Mekial quietly stuttered out the phrasing of a charm and held his palm in the beast's face. Before it could properly react a blast of light blew full into its face, forcing it to reel back and vanish in a curl of black smoke.

Mekial swayed when he was dropped and his trembling legs buckled, leaving him to crumble to his knees. His head was throbbing and he could feel something warm running down the back of one of his arms after being blown into the stairs. Panting, he lifted his chin to see that some of the Shadows were now making a beeline for him.

Dropping his face the boy muttered a quick prayer, begging to have some kind of plan of escape given to him. It was a short request and he had barely made it partway through before his brown irises caught sight of the Shadows' shadows flying across the ground.

His eyes widened fleetingly and he quickly rolled to the side, narrowly missing the hands of the two incoming Shadows. His body still sore, Mekial hunted for one of the nearest torches. Upon finding one he whispered a quick verse and waved his hand, causing the flame within to dance in a sudden breeze.

Waving his hand once more the flames shot up as if they had been given an overload of coal, then blasted into the road with the arrival of a commanding gale. Within seconds the flames blanketed many of the Shadows, burning through their cloaks and scorching up their already worn and beaten skin.

Alexandria's eyes flitted over to the main road upon spying the rising flames, and they soon widened when she saw how many of her beasts had been caught in the inferno, which was still blazing across the road in the last of Mekial's wind. Already many had collapsed, their rotten bodies burned all the way through, yet she took comfort in the fact that she still had enough of them to support her.

Her attention returned to her own fight when she caught movement nearby, and she quickly sidestepped an arrow that had soared from Ashei's bow. She drove the point of her blade towards the woman, aiming to run her through but Ashei darted out of the way and Renée took her place, seizing the offensive.

As Renée expected Alexandria retreated into defense, only to regain the upper hand when Renée broke free in order to dodge the incoming slash of a Shadow. As Renée regained her footing Alexandria launched again, flooding Renée with a barrage of swipes and thrusts until finally she withdrew and pinpointed the girl with blood-red eyes.

And in the instant before the horde of whispering voices washed through her mind, Renée's memories pulled her back to the Mesa, back to the man standing in the shadows with his eyes darkening to a deep crimson.

Then the bodiless tones hit her and she screamed, keeling over as they swarmed her, cluttering her mind. Her sword clattered to the ground as she staggered backward, her teeth grinding together and she clutched the sides of her head.

Jumping out of range of a Shadow's extended fingers, Regal rounded on the spot at the sound of Renée's cry. Quickly he moved towards Alexandria, sword raised and he struck; but, seeing his incoming figure she whirled out of his reach and brandished her weapon, her eyes reverting to their natural hue as she fixed him with a deathly glare.

Behind the captain Renée slowly got up from the ground, her head still spinning and her vision foggy. Shaking the dizziness from her head she gripped the hilt of her sword and got to her feet, sweeping the battleground with her gaze in search of her previous foe. Even when she spotted her, her vision spun as the violent whispers faded away, permitting the shrieks of the Shadows to reign once more.

Sucking in a few quick gasps Renée tightened the hold on her sword hilt, then sprang back into the fray.

Her intent was to strike Alexandria, who was fiercely entangled in a fight with Ashei. Skillfully the archer was ducking and sidestepping the woman's strikes, and was hopping back every now and then so as to gain some distance so she could use one of her arrows. But when a Shadow hit her in the side she keeled over and taking advantage of this, Alexandria tried thrusting again.

This time the attempt worked, and she punctured Ashei's left shoulder.

Crying out, Ashei tried to cover her wound, only to release another yell of pain when Alexandria dug the blade in, working it deeper so as to assure permanent injury to the woman's bow arm. When satisfied she slipped her sword out, then delivered a swift roundhouse kick that sent the archer splashing into the village fountain.

Ashei winced when she slammed into the pond, clutching her bleeding wound and rolling further onto her side, unintentionally submerging the cut. The injury stung instantly but then, gradually, the pain of it began to lessen.

Pulling her fingers away from the gash, Ashei peered through the blood that was swirling into the fountain to look at it: to her amazement, it was closing.

After seeing Ashei fall Renée started towards her, but was hauled backward after something rough and scratchy closed around her neck. Overcome with panic she nearly lost the hold on her sword but quickly regained herself and kept it as the Shadow lifted her off of her feet. As she struggled in its grasp it extended her towards Alexandria, who was now approaching her.

Renée opened one of her eyes when the woman drew near, keeping one hand clasped around the Shadow's fingers to prevent being dangled.

"You." Alexandria stopped a few feet away, eyeing her with severity. "You're an ally of Link's. And the princess."

Whether her words were a question or a statement Renée could not tell. She could only choke in response.

"Tell me where they are," Alexandria continued, "and I'll leave you, and call off this attack."

Renée turned her eyes to the main road, for she could not move her head in that direction, and noticed the raging fire and the beasts that still remained to fight the rest of her allies. She released a strangled grunt as her eyes fell back to Alexandria.

"Tell me where they are," the silver-headed woman demanded once more, "or I'll just kill you all here and wait for them myself."

* * *

"M-Mom…" Beth dug her fingers into her mother's sides as she hugged her, her forehead creased with terror.

Her mother, just as frightened as she was, could voice no consoling words; however, she did manage to return her daughter's hug with a tight embrace of her own.

She and the other villagers of Kakariko and Ordon were in the bomb shop, all of them either huddled in the back of the lower floor or gathered in the upstairs bedroom. The store was nothing close to a fortress, with its old, metal-plated walls and grated staircase, and the screams of the Shadows tore through the walls with nerve-racking strength, shaking the villagers to their core. Even the store owner, Barnes, was trembling along with them.

He was an older man with a head of balding red hair, a pot belly poking out of his stained tank top and a pair of dusty green suspenders. He was no hero and he knew it; danger was not something he liked to be involved in and so he had taken to hiding on the upper level of his shop where his bedroom was, pacing the small area and grumbling about how Kakariko had been caught up in bothersome times of terror one time too many. Still, he was grateful that the town had a group of soldiers present to protect them; as long as they held up the frontlines, he would be safe – and so would his store.

The other children of Ordon, along with Illia and Renado's daughter Luda, had been placed in the room with him, which he wasn't particularly happy about. Beth had only just escaped into her mother's arms on the staircase while the others stayed put, huddled close as they waited with bated breath for the nightmare to end.

But with each passing second it only seemed to get worse. The Shadows' screams were unrelenting and whenever a new villager found sanctuary in the store they would fling the door open upon arriving and increase the sounds of the battle tenfold.

Ariel had started crying what felt like hours ago and she was still crying, so loudly in fact that everyone in the building could hear her.

Colin tried to shush her quietly, as did Luda who was sitting beside him, reminding her that their parents were only right downstairs and that everything would soon be fine. But the child didn't believe them, screeching loudly as tears gushed from her eyes.

"Shut that kid up, will you?!" Barnes finally burst, rounding on them. "What're we gonna do if those things hear her?!"

"She's just scared!" Illia argued in the little girl's defense, rising from where she had been sitting in front of Barnes' wardrobe.

Ariel let out another loud wail.

"Bah!" Barnes through his hands up and turned away, frowning beneath his small, tinted spectacles. "This is the same thing that happened last time! I swear, every time you kids show up here, something bad happens!"

"That's not fair, Barnes," a woman standing near the staircase frowned, overhearing his words. She was a native in Kakariko Village, with long, curly brown hair and bright green eyes. "It's not their fault that those things are here!"

"Well whoever's fault it is they need to speak up!" Barnes snapped back impatiently. "Just when I thought everything was gonna go back to normal, those black clouds roll in and then we're being hounded by these zombie-freaks in black cloaks! What's next – Poe ghosts?!"

"This is a bomb shop, isn't it?" Illia broke in, pinning her eyes on Barnes long enough for him to have no choice but to turn and meet her stare. "Then can't you do something? Throw some bombs out at those monsters!"

"Hey, I've seen my share of monsters," Barnes retorted, his thoughts reclining to the Twilight Incident one year prior. "As far as these things go, I doubt my bombs would so much as scratch 'em."

"But there has to be something you can do," Illia pressed. "Even if it's just a distraction to help the soldiers and Link's friends outside! I'll even do it myself if I have to!"

"A distraction!" Barnes tossed his head back with a spiteful laugh. "Then what? They'll come storming in here next, angry because you tried to blow them up! For all our sakes, I hope they take that girl first." He nodded to Ariel.

Seeing this Colin's eyes widened and he hugged his whining sister closer to him.

Illia's face twisted into a judgmental glower.

"That's horrible!" Luda exclaimed indignantly, glaring at the bomb salesman.

But Barnes only scoffed and turned away, flipping his hands into the air before he dropped them to his sides. With the young girls' scowls glued to his back he marched towards the stairs, but when a figure rose in front of him, he stopped.

Blocking his path to the lower part of the shop was Renado, his usually kind face now darkened by a firm, puckered brow of disapproval.

Barnes faltered beneath his stare and tossed a fleeting glance at the children, then with a faint grunt he pushed past the shaman and stomped down the stairs.

Renado watched him silently, then he refaced the upper level of the building and glided up the remaining steps. Once in the bedroom he regarded the children beneath a somber expression, his eyebrows drawn together concernedly, and he released a quiet sigh.

"I have spoken with your parents," he began gravely, "and they have all come to the agreement that you cannot stay here any longer." The children only stared back at him, unsure of how to react to his statement.

Noticing this, the man went on, "The Demonics are almost upon us here, and we fear that the soldiers won't be able to hold them off for much longer. You are to leave through the shop's back door and head up the Death Mountain Trail to the Gorons, while there's still time."

"But what about you?" Colin spurted out instantly. "And our parents? How're you going to –?"

"We will remain here and try to hold them off," Renado replied sorrowfully. "This is a bomb shop, after all. We'll have plenty to fight with."

Illia blinked, startled, and Barnes' words from before suddenly made sense. "But…but what if they come after you?"

"Please do not worry about us," Renado replied. "What matters is that you all make it to safety. And Illia, as the oldest, I should hope that you will keep a good eye on the rest of them."

Illia said nothing, though her eyebrows trembled as if she was unsure as to what sort of face she should make.

"Luda," Renado directed his eyes to his daughter next, who had been staring at him with a frightened aura. Regardless of this look he forced a bracing smile. "Be strong. Show them to the back door."

"…Y-Yes." Luda tipped her chin briskly and after taking Colin's arm in both of her hands she got to her feet, urging him to stand with her.

"We can't just _leave_ you guys here!" Talo shouted angrily as the others began to rise and gather themselves for departure. "You gotta come, too!"

"This is for your own good, Talo," Renado told him firmly. "One family has already lost a daughter – we can't let the same thing happen to the rest of you."

To this Talo's defiance actually waned and he looked on at Renado with horror welling in his eyes. Seeing that the boy had been defeated, Renado gestured to the stairs behind him with an extended arm. "Now, hurry; if you go now you should be able to make it."

With Ariel sniveling into his shoulder Colin hustled past Renado, though not before passing him a quiet, mournful look. Malo went next, followed by Talo and then Illia, who nodded to the shaman as she went by. Luda went last and after hastily wiping away her tears she threw her arms around her father, clutching him tightly as she buried her face in his robes.

Her parent returned the embrace, placing his arms around her until forcing himself to release her and usher her down the stairs. There they came upon the other children giving farewells to their own parents, all of them receiving tearful hugs or kisses as their mothers and fathers gave them words of support.

"Keep an eye on your brother, Talo," Jaggle, Talo and Malo's father told him, tousling his hair. "He's small, y'know."

"I know," Talo mumbled, straining to avoid eye contact.

"And don't do anything reckless," his mother, Pergie, put in. "Just go to the Gorons and stay there, okay?"

"Okay…"

"And Malo, we're counting on you to stay your brilliant self," the woman went on, rubbing the youngest son's shoulder. "You could probably open up a new shop up there, huh?"

"…Maybe," Malo returned quietly. "I'll see what I can do."

Pergie smiled down at him, then with a shaky gasp she pulled both him and Talo into a tight hug, which the boys eagerly returned.

"You'll be okay, Beth," Sera told her, holding the girl's shoulders as the child stared at the ground, her eyes glistening. "Just stay with the others, all right? And you've got your doll…"

Beth sniffed loudly. "U-uh-huh…"

"Illia…" Bo gazed down at his daughter, his pale blue eyes shimmering with emotion, and he swallowed the bulge in his throat before continuing. "You've got your Ma's strength, you know, and her heart." Slowly Illia raised her chin to look up at him; like her father, she, too, was working to control her sorrow. "You've been like a big sister to all these yung'uns" – Bo made a quick implication to the other children with his hand – "and I know that…that you can handle takin' care of 'em fer a little bit. But, ah…we'll let you know when it's safe to come back, all right?"

Illia pursed her lips, her eyes moistening and then she dropped her head with a half-hearted nod.

Bo pulled her into an embrace and when she bumped her head into his stomach, he planted a kiss in her hair. "Stay safe," he said, holding her at arm's length. "And we'll see you soon."

Illia sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Y-yeah."

Another screech sounded from outside, louder this time, and dragged along with it was a soldier's loud cry of pain.

"To the back. Hurry!" Renado waved his arms at the children, urging them to the back of the shop. With a mix of hesitant and panicky looks they peered back at their family members, then Luda opened the metal door in the back and they stumbled outside.

Almost immediately their heads were rattled by a sky-piercing scream that sent fear shooting through their limbs. Illia's stomach twisted into knots and she fought the desire to imagine what it was that was happening further down the main road of the village. Instead she patted the children's backs, shouting that they couldn't stay there.

Ariel clung to her brother as they took heed to Illia's words and hastened towards the road to Death Mountain Trail, burying her face in the crook of his neck and clapping one hand over her exposed ear in an effort to escape the noises. But even though she was greatly disturbed the girl did not cry; in fact she did not even open her eyes to look around, as though fearing that it would frighten her into years of traumatized silence.

Even after they had all crossed into the passage that led up to the nearby volcano the horrible noises of the village did not cease. Soon the sounds of explosions mingled with the screaming and clashing of blades, and with her heart hammering in her throat Illia figured that the adults had just started their assault.

With this thought in the back of her mind she looked to the children, so small and helpless, and her heart swelled with compassion. "Keep going!" she called, her own arms pumping as they dashed for their recommended sanctuary. "We can make it!"

Talo sprinted ahead at the front, his eyes wide as he made it to the start of the hill that led up to the meandering Trail. Beth was close behind him and soon the other children were as well, save Malo.

Seeing this Illia scooped him into her arms as she ran and soon came upon the hill. The Gorons had destroyed it the year before in an act of pride but had rebuilt it recently; however, it was nothing more than a large pile of rocks and boulders that led up to the mountain pass.

Illia encouraged the children to climb the mountain of rubble, her clothes and hair already soiled from the dust that swirled in the air as she waited for each of them to go up first. Here and there they stumbled, and towards the back Colin threw a furtive look over his shoulder when he heard a loud explosion, trailed by a venomous shriek.

To his horror a dark being shot past the road that they were on and then doubled back, its black eyes following the hill of debris until it spotted the humans upon it.

Illia followed Colin's horrified stare and her own eyes widened. "G-go! _Run!" _she screamed and scampering and crying the children ran, kicking loose stones free as they went.

Illia scrambled up behind them, shifting Malo onto her back and behind them the Shadow advanced, one claw outstretched. Within seconds, it gripped Illia's ankle.

Yelling in surprise the girl clung even more tightly to the boulder-hill. "Malo – go up!"

He looked from her to her ankle fearfully. "But you –"

_"Go!"_

Malo didn't say anything after that, startled by the bite in her voice. Crawling off of her back he scrambled his way up the rest of the hill and beneath him the Shadow swung in its other hand and gripped Illia's other ankle, then with one swift tug it yanked her closer to it.

Screaming the girl flipped onto her back as the Shadow hung its face over her, its breath leaving its hole of a mouth in quiet, raspy gasps.

_"Illia!" _Talo looked over the hill as he helped Luda over the last of the boulders. As he did Luda looked up at him; never before had she seen the boy look so afraid.

Illia didn't respond to him but only continued to struggle beneath the Shadow as it loomed over her. Soon she started choking as the mists about its feet rose to clog her airways.

Then, midway through one of her coughs its long hands closed around her throat and she gasped weakly, her back arching as her lungs heaved for air.

"Illia!" Beth cried out and her eyes darted over to the road at a sign of movement. There another Demonic had arrived – no, two – three – and they glided forward with shrill shrieks. With her eyes bulging, her knees locked up.

Behind her Talo made to run and Luda tried grabbing Beth's arm. Colin turned away, his arms clasped against his sister's back and Malo took a wary step of retreat, his already large eyes growing even larger.

On the hill beneath them the Shadow's grip tightened around Illia's neck and, wheezing, her skin paled and her vision fogged as the Demonic's swirling black mist began to close around her. Still she was able to just faintly spot the other three beasts glide up to the village children, screaming so violently that goosebumps raced across her skin. Choking on another cry she strained to call for the children to run away but her breath quickly escaped her and her body nearly went limp.

At the head of the hill Talo tripped over a hole in the road and fell flat on his face. Shaking it off he threw his eyes over his shoulder and watched as one of the Demonics emerged from the darkness, its black robes billowing and with a loud yell he ducked and covered his head.

The beast was only a couple of feet away when a sudden burst of wind blew out of the hole he had tripped over, blasting into it with enough force to blow it backward. Hearing the arrival of the sudden airstream Talo looked back, and his heart began to drum so hard that it seemed to make everything quake around him.

_…Wait._

The boy's eyes dropped to the earth and there identified small piles of dust and pebbles bouncing around. Seconds later their small bounces turned into leaps and he raised his gaze to the path.

Emitting another shout of terror he rolled out of the way before a boulder could run him over. Completely missing him the great rock crashed into the Shadow instead, and collided with such force that the beast was glued to it up until it was smashed against the ground with a sickening _crack_.

Awestruck Talo stared at where the Shadow had once been, then looked back up the hill when another great rumble tore through the ground. Crying out in shock he bounded to his feet and dove out of the way just as a horde of boulders came tumbling down the road, knocking plumes of dirt into the blackened sky.

* * *

Mekial gasped after lowering his hand from creating another flash of light, which had caused the group of Shadows around him to recoil into strings of black mist. As far as he knew one of the soldiers that had been near him had been killed, and he was sure that if nothing soon changed he would be next. He was bruised and bloody, and still had such a terrible pain in his stomach that he feared he would soon retch.

Without a doubt, fighting the Shadows with reinforcements of his own would have been helpful. But he and his comrades were dangerously outnumbered; although he had caused the great fire that had managed to burn up many of the Shadows, there were still just enough remaining for them to still be a powerful army.

His shoulders heaved and he clumsily dodged a Shadow's claw, then stumbled in order to regain his footing.

They weren't going to last much longer.

"You won't speak." Alexandria looked Renée over as she voiced her observation. "You're either very loyal…or very stupid." Bending her arm at the elbow, she pulled her sword back until it was poised with its end pointed at Renée's heart. "But I see you've made your choice."

Renée gasped again and clung to the Shadow's rough fingers. Truthfully in this position, she wouldn't have been able to speak even if she had wanted to.

Alexandria's left foot slid forward and her arm burst forth, driving the blade with such dexterity that one would almost think it was naturally drawn towards its victim's chest.

But then it halted abruptly when an arrow whizzed by its owner's face.

Startled, Alexandria's eyes shot to where the projectile had come from, and upon seeing Ashei standing in the fountain, her bow raised, she frowned in confusion.

Before she could make a sound however her eyes dropped to the ground, which had suddenly started to tremble.

The rumbling quickly intensified to the point where it almost felt like an earthquake, distracting Alexandria from her present act, and her red eyes jumped to the main road. There, they narrowed.

Dust was exploding into the air from the upper end of the path and as the quaking strengthened, she perceived what looked like a horde of oversized boulders bumbling along it.

Mercilessly the enormous rocks ripped through the crowd of Shadows and one near the front picked up speed, racing towards the monsters that were gathered near the spring. Dropping her sword arm Alexandria watched, silver eyebrows furrowed and eyes wide, as the stone completely ran some of the beasts over then stopped, turned, and barreled towards the Shadows nearer to her.

Katrina squinted through the plumes of dust as she hopped out of the boulders' paths. Finally she stumbled out of their way and after gripping the railing of the inn's porch she watched, amazed, as some of them bounced into the sky to hit Shadows in midair while others ricocheted between the houses, zigzagging into more of the beasts.

One that was particularly larger than the rest blazed towards Mekial. Right when he feared the thing would bowl him over the rock broke apart, revealing large, toned arms and a stout, muscular body covered in tribal markings.

With its violet eyes glowing angrily the animated rock charged forward, roaring, and smashed its boulder-sized fists into the faces of any Shadows that it could reach, sending them spiraling into the sides of houses or slamming them right into the ground. When the area around him had been cleared Mekial replanted his eyes on the monstrosity, his eyes large.

But Darbus took no notice of him and beat his chest with a vehement bellow, then swung his knuckles into the face of another black monster.

* * *

The world seemed to revolve into silence when the Fairy's song ended and slowly she pivoted so that she was completely facing them. Her wings fanned out a bit further, causing the light around her to shine brighter, and she continued to watch the strangers before her with that same, calm smile.

Brent swallowed, his eyes wide. He could not even count how many tales he had read of that mentioned the Great Fairies of Hyrule. Never had he thought that one day he would be able to stand in the presence of one. In fact just standing before this particular Fairy, who he knew most likely looked younger than she really was, made him feel small, feeble almost. But at the same time he was enthralled.

These spirits were more amazing than he could have ever imagined.

The Fairy observed them for a moment longer and then lifted her hands and held them out, palms upward.

As if moving of their own volition the humans' legs moved, drawing them closer to the majestic creature. None of them even glanced down when the shallow water beneath them deepened, leaving them to walk on that same barrier that the Fairy stood upon.

Once they had come closer the spirit lowered her arms and they stopped as if that movement alone commanded their entire beings.

Then she spoke, and with each word she uttered the light around her fluctuated, both in size and luminosity. "It's been a long time," she began, and her voice actually sounded as young as she appeared, despite the maturity it seemed to have when she sang, "since humans have come to me. I thought…that they didn't need me anymore." Sadness nestled in her silver eyes and her brow creased. "I have…grown lonely."

"There was a cave-in," Brent blurted out, suddenly finding himself and the Fairy granted him her attention. "I don't think anyone came because they thought it was impossible to get to you."

"But…" The Fairy's eyes glazed over each of them. "You came."

"We had to," Dijonay spoke up and as the Fairy looked at her she felt as though something deep in her spirit was being drawn to the surface. Much to her surprise she didn't mind the feeling and found herself speaking freely, "We lost them," she said sadly and her eyes moved to Link and Zelda, who were still staring at the Fairy in amazement. "And…it was my fault. I Saw what was going to happen to them, and I did nothing to stop it. That was why we had to come." Her eyes moved back to the shimmering Fairy, who was still watching her. "I would have done anything to get them to see you."

"Me?" the girl echoed quietly.

"Yes." Dijonay nodded. "We learned of you through someone else. They said that you had the power to restore them to their true selves."

The Fairy fell silent and she turned her gaze towards the hero and princess, studying them beneath an unreadable expression. "…Yes," she said finally. "They are lost."

"Can you fix them?" Brent asked hopefully. "Please. There's no one else we can turn to."

The Fairy's eyes revolved to meet his and she smiled faintly. She raised her arms once more and Link and Zelda took a couple of steps forward, taking no notice of how, once again, they had moved on a soundless command.

Before their eyes the Fairy dissolved into smoky streaks of colorful lights that swirled about and condensed into a massive, mystic cloud. Gradually it expanded, flattening out into a light mist that floated forward until it was coiling around their heads.

Link barely reacted when the cloud descended to nestle beneath his nostrils and without thinking he inhaled it. It had a sweet scent: faint yet soothing. With his eyes falling shut, he took a deeper breath. It smelled like the hay back in the Ordon stables…

Wild, sun-bathed fields…

Hot, arid deserts…

The ocean…

A dark world illuminated by Twilight…

His eyes snapped open.

And in the next instant his mind was overpowered by detailed memories of what felt like his entire life. The faded shouts of bulbins haunted his ears, followed by the sound of Epona's rampaging hooves, clashing blades, cold, snowy winds –

He blinked and the pictures quickly cleared, sinking into the gaps that had once cluttered his mind like Holes.

And he remembered.

Slowly his eyes moved to the side to view Zelda. The Fairy's cloud was leaving her face now and her eyes were closed with her head tilted back, as if she were basking in sunlight. After a moment her eyes fluttered open and her navy irises dropped to meet Link's. Then she lowered her chin with her hand over her heart and Link could have sworn he saw a small, relieved smile cross her countenance.

Averting his eyes, Link found that the cloudy mass of the Regeneration Fairy had retreated to sparkle over the middle of her fountain. Then, feeling as if something were glued to his back he turned and met the anxious eyes of Brent and Dijonay.

"How do you feel?" When Zelda turned as well, Dijonay directed her attention towards her also. "You as well, Princess?"

Behind Dijonay, Brent viewed them with a similar anticipation.

"I feel…" Link paused, considering the word he was about to use. "…Good."

It felt right.

"Yes," Zelda agreed. "I feel the same way."

"Maybe we should test it," Brent suggested, gaining a quick glance from Dijonay. "Um…" He racked his brain for a good question to ask and when one came to him he looked between them. "Where does Princess Midna come from?"

Link and Zelda glanced at one another and voiced their answer in unison: "The Twilight Realm –"

"You are normal again!" Before either of them knew it Dijonay was hugging them both, beaming with relief. "Oh, thank goodness…!"

As she released them the multicolored cloud twisted back into the form of the young Fairy. Lights gleamed around her back and with a flash they solidified into her wings, which fluttered gracefully as she watched Dijonay's small celebration.

Noticing her, the girl stopped and stepped closer, her eyes still shining with happiness. "Thank you," she said, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "Thank you…so very much…"

"I am happy to help," the Fairy replied, returning the girl's smile. "But now," her voice took on a sadder tone, "I suppose you will be leaving."

"…Yes," Dijonay's smile disappeared as well. "We must go back now. There is something else that we need to see to."

The Fairy examined her carefully. "…The world outside. It is dark?"

Dijonay nodded dejectedly. "Yes…"

The Fairy looked away. "And someone named Malbex is trying to control it."

Link furrowed his brow. "You know?"

"I could hear it," the Fairy corrected, her eyes falling upon him. "It was in your memories, when they returned to you. I suppose that this is part of why no one has come to see me, until now."

"…What if you moved?" Brent offered helpfully, stepping forward. "You could find a new spring and settle there. People will be able to hear your singing more then, and they'll go to you."

"The world is a very dark place right now, as you heard," Zelda put in, drawing the Fairy's attention. "And so I believe that your light would be one of the best blessings that my country needs. There are many that are hurt and dying outside of here, like Link and myself. They need you - desperately."

The Fairy stared at her silently, as though mulling over her statement. Then she smiled again, blissfully this time. "People that need me…"

Once more her form dispersed into that cool, misty light that curled in and around itself, brightening gradually as it filled the entire, underground chamber. Dijonay, Brent, Link and Zelda squinted in the strengthening glow and soon had to duck away from it, clenching their eyes to avoid being blinded. But then as suddenly as it had appeared the light dimmed and the warm temperature of the caves was dismissed by a cold breeze.

Opening their eyes, the group discovered that they were now standing outside of the Fairy's caverns. In fact only a little ways to their left they could make out the faint outline of the dogwood trees by the entrance, as well as Midna and her two guards. The light rain they had felt earlier was still falling.

Turning his back on the cave entrance Link found the Regeneration Fairy to be standing a few feet away from him, the glow that had once surrounded her in the caves having now softened to a small shine that made her skin seem naturally radiant.

She smiled up at him and with a gentle wind was whisked into a cloud of shimmering blue dust.

Link started and reached out to her, but the last of the glittering bits of light slipped out of his reach. His eyebrows puckered sadly, only to rise up when all at once the girl's voice sounded from all around them.

_"This world _is_ dark…"_

Link's eyes along with the others' darted about, as though to find where her voice was specifically coming from.

_"But I will find the people that need me. After all…"_

Link located her first: high up in the black sky, there was a small trail of sparkling blue light floating away in the wind.

_"I need people, too."_

Her final words had barely entered their ears before the specks of light blinked out, until finally every last one of them vanished into the dark skies.

"Hey…! You… Wait." Midna stood up when the four approached her and sent her eyes from them to the cave between the dogwood trees. She pointed at it with her thumb. "Didn't you…?"

"The Fairy gave us a lift," Brent explained and Midna broke eye contact as she raised her eyebrows in understanding.

"All right. Then, did she…" She looked at Link and Zelda, glancing between them concernedly.

"Yes, we are fine now," Zelda confirmed, smiling kindly. Link tipped his chin in agreement.

Midna stared at them, her red eyes wide, and then her face broke out into a delighted smile. "That's good," she sighed, and made a note in the back of her mind to reward Elam for his research. "If I ever meet that Fairy, I'll have to thank her."

"We should head back now," Dijonay stated, garnering the trio's attention. "Everyone else will be more than happy to see that you two have regained yourselves."

"After one more stop," Midna cut in, rolling down her sleeve to reveal the Grell on her wrist. "After that, it's back to business."

Without waiting for a response she held her hand out, twining her magic with that of the Grell's. Soon, the clear stone gave off a blue glow and released a series of familiar sparks and dashes of light that clawed the air open and formed a new, whirling gateway.

As the winds stormed out of it, howling their way through the dead forest, Brent's eyes shifted to Midna. "Where are we going?"

Hearing the inquiry the princess turned and sent him an impish smile. "You'll see."

She held a hand out to the portal, indicating that, as always, she wanted the humans to file in first. Silently they did so, and as soon as they had all stepped within she followed with her guards close by her side.

Within the swirling doorway she kept a strong focus on her next destination, imagining it with all the clarity that she could, despite having not seen the particular place in well over a year. Before her, her companions marched forward without a sound, their heads bowed to the powerful gusts as they floated towards their unmentioned goal. Sparks of white light ignited on either side of them as they went through though did little to startle them, and soon the end of the magical hall became apparent, made known by a brightening glow that hovered only a little ways ahead of them, waiting for them to arrive.

As they neared it, dark lines shot out of the bottomless pit below to spike over them, where smaller streaks shot out of them, and still smaller ones erupted out of them. With the Grell's light fading these black marks darkened into solid figures, and just before the winds could completely die away the strange objects were defined as yet more dead trees.

Beneath their feet the cool glow of the portal blackened into hard soil and the air grew chilly once more, so much so in fact that Dijonay sneezed softly as her feet touched the solid earth.

Link sent his eyes across this new landscape, finding that it proved to be just as difficult to see through as the forest that they had just left behind. Reaching into his belt pouch he pulled out his lantern and switched it on. His eyebrows went up in instant surprise.

"Where is this place?" Zelda asked quietly, examining her surroundings by Link's firelight. Something flashed as it was caught in the glow, and her eyes jumped over to it. Upon recognizing it, her astonishment was barely noticeable.

Attaching his lantern to a loop on his belt, Link ventured towards what Zelda had spotted, ascending the short, moss-infested stairs that led up to it. Once before it he reached out, only to stop as he perceived something else.

Just in front of the platform was a wide, gaping Hole, covering up most of the floor and spanned from the raised area he stood upon to a small doorway on the other end of the eroded chamber.

"That is…" Dijonay peered through the dimness in order to properly identify the deep chasm.

"Whoa. So those Holes showed up here, too?" Midna walked onto the platform and looked down into the abyss. "…Good thing the Grell dropped us off on this side."

Link looked over at her, unable to contain his shock. That meant that just now, they had gotten lucky?

"So it would seem that the Holes have remained, despite the old contract's nullification," Zelda observed darkly. "They are much larger than I had first believed."

"Let's just be glad that they aren't showing up anymore," Brent reminded them. "Ironically enough."

"Yes." Midna turned back to face them, her arms once again folded so as to better preserve her personal body heat. "But we aren't here to gawk. I took you here so we can get that." Her crimson eyes slid to her right, towards a familiar, holy blade that was thrust into the vine-encrusted pedestal on the platform.

Brent's eyes moved to the ancient sword interestedly. "Seriously?"

"Yes." Midna directed her eyes to Link. "The Shadows are pure darkness, aren't they? I'm not all too familiar with the stories behind the Master Sword, but I figured that it would be helpful to you; especially when you all go to Prince Malbex's palace. There's no telling how many of those black monsters he'll have there."

"Will you be able to pick it up?" Brent burst as Link moved to stand before the sword.

Link faced him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, from what I've read, the person who picked up the sword always had the Triforce of Courage," Brent informed him. "But, you don't have it anymore. So will it still work?" At this he looked over to Midna, who gained a thoughtful yet worrisome expression as she pondered his statement.

"…I suppose there's really only one way to know." Emerging from her briefly darkened thoughts, her red eyes swiveled over to Link.

Understanding her implied notion he refaced the sword and after steeling himself, he gripped the hilt with both hands and pulled.

Indistinctly there came the sound of metal scraping against stone. Link paused, considering it to be his imagination but pulled again; this time the noise was louder and with ease he slid the sword out of its resting place. Holding it out in front of him he could barely contain his shock; truthfully, he had been expecting to encounter some kind of problem.

Brent could scarcely hold in his bubbling excitement. He had really just seen the descendant of a legendary hero take up the Master Sword.

He grinned. This would be a story to tell.

Link hoisted the sword aloft, reminding his muscles of its weight and grip and then he lowered it to his side while pivoting to look at his audience.

"It still recognizes you," Zelda observed, gazing at the mystical weapon in wonder.

"Amazing," Dijonay breathed, staring at the blade as well.

"All right, we're done here," Midna declared, extending her arm to the space over the platform. As before, the Grell flickered brightly.

As the stone worked to conjure up a doorway back to the village, Zelda's eyes spontaneously wandered to the side, where they fixed themselves upon Dijonay. Briefly Zelda thought she had seen the girl's eyes glaze over in a white haze but dismissed it; yet, when Dijonay simply stood there, her face blanketed by a shroud of inattentive concern, the princess stepped forward. "Dijonay? Are you all right?"

"H-huh –?" Dijonay shook herself out of her small trance. "Oh. Y-yes. I am fine." She smiled fleetingly, dashing Zelda's unease but leaving a cloud of doubt to take its place. Seeing this, Dijonay reiterated her statement, "I am fine, princess. Really."

Zelda seemed to accept this, for she pulled her attention away and fixed it on the portal just as it formed. She walked towards it and behind her Dijonay did the same, though not before her eyes fell to the ground, where they creased worriedly.

* * *

**._.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Katrina had been caught off guard when the Gorons had arrived, struggling to rip herself out of a bloodthirsty mindset in order to properly dodge their rocky forms as they barreled into the village. They were a great aid for their first few moments of their arrival but, to her utmost disappointment, as quickly as they had helped the community claim the advantage, they had lost it. And her strength, once fueled by a blinded rage, was beginning to wane.

Katrina staggered back when a Shadow swiped at her knives, breaking her guard. Forcing her stunned mind to focus, she barely had the time to prepare before the same monster swooped forth and claimed her neck with both of its gangly hands. For merely a few seconds she was hoisted into the air and almost strangled before a sword hacked the creature's arms clean off.

Dropping to the ground, she discovered that Bourke had once again rescued her and for a second she was glad. But when her eyes riveted back to the Shadow, both she and the General could do nothing but watch in horror as the beast's shoulder joints bulged; an instant later the lumps erupted into full-grown arms, lanky fingers and all, and the darkness that clouded the rest of the monster's body circled around them.

Bourke's shoulders sagged. "Oh, come _on_."

Mekial kept close to Darbus, using his large form to shield himself from the onslaught of Shadows as he blasted short gales at them. Some of the dark fiends were caught in the strike and forced to reel backward, while others steered clear of it and tried to sweep around the Goron to reach the child. It was times like this that Darbus proved reliable, swinging his arms into any fiends that tried to blaze past him and sending them flying back.

But it didn't take long for the Shadows to catch on to this pattern, and they gained the idea to cling to the Goron's arms as he swung at them. There their grips tightened, immobilizing the creature and to Mekial's shock they dragged him into the air and hurled him into a house, reducing its walls to smithereens.

Barely had Mekial gotten the chance to react before he was forced to duck, narrowly dodging another Goron as it bounded into the air and crashed into one of the monsters that had just tried to grab him by the head. After hitting its target the rock-eater unraveled, roaring; but its cry was cut short when one of the monsters punched it square in the cheek and followed up with a series of strikes and scratches that would have left a human disfigured beyond recognition.

Mekial took small steps of retreat, his eyes wide. With every strike the Shadow made splotches of blood flew everywhere and the sound of flesh being torn mingled with the Goron's cries of pain.

Mekial's chest lurched as he struggled for breath and shivers ran through his entirety, making the world feel as though it would soon give way right under him. He tried screaming but nothing came out – just a pitiful gasp that not even he could hear.

Then in a sudden burst of desperation he unleashed an airstream that erupted from his hands and howled into the Shadow with enough strength to distract it.

Rounding on him with an evil hiss it released the Goron from its clutches, and had the creature not moaned Mekial would have believed it was dead.

Tearing his eyes from his fallen ally he braced himself for the Shadow's first strike, balling his hands into fists and ordering his exhausted and traumatized mind to call up a helpful spell. By the time the Shadow was upon him, the results of his next incantation were already blasting from his fingertips.

Renée's ears were overloaded, flooded by the screams of Shadows, the ringing of swords and the distant roar of Gorons and bombs. Her neck was sore from having been nearly strangled several times, and with each heavy gasp she took the ache only increased, causing her to wince every time.

Regal and Ashei were still nearby, fighting just as desperately as she was and having long since thrown offense aside; like Renée, they were completely cornered as they were punched, pushed and thrown around despite their efforts to defend themselves. At some point the silver-haired woman had vanished from Renée's sight, but Renée was so preoccupied with her battle by the fountain that she couldn't bother to wonder where she had gone.

Then again, could she really call it a battle? It all seemed terribly one-sided, and her splintered mind could scarcely keep track of how many strikes the Shadows had gotten in compared to hers. It soon got to the point where she could barely lift her sword – and that was what sealed everything.

In the span of an instant she got a punch to the stomach that lifted her off her feet, a hard blow to her side, a smack that sent her sword flying, and then something latched around her ankle and flipped her into the sky.

Her shout was short-lived, broken when she crashed into the fountain, sending jets of water soaring skyward. There she lay, silent and unmoving, fearing that every bone in her body had been completely shattered.

Her fingers twitched beneath the water as the cries of war mumbled into her ears, their sound morphed by the liquid that surrounded her head. She kept her eyes shut and prayed that it would soon be over; that, if anything, she would be relieved from the pain searing through her if she just remained still.

But the chilling aches of her limbs remained, informing her that somewhere, or maybe even everywhere, something was definitely broken. She choked on a gasp and when her agony spiked because of it, she quickly wished she hadn't.

Yet as soon as her pain shot up, urging her to release a scream, it began to dull, and behind her closed eyelids she noticed the world grow brighter. Bracing herself she forced her lids to part, permitting her to gaze up at the black sky.

But upon opening her eyes, she learned that the sky was no longer as dark as it had once been. Rather, it was tinted gold and sparkled with tiny, floating lights. She nearly smiled, somehow relieved by the sight, and the pain of her skirmish began to ebb away.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the noises to clear away next. But instead the water that pooled in the spring grew warmer and all at once she felt well again, as if neither a Shadow nor Alexandria's blade had ever come near her.

But when the fountain's warmth increased until it felt like she was lying in a sauna, her eyes snapped open.

The lights were brighter now and had increased in number, and upon turning her head to the side she found that the fountain's surface had taken on a golden hue.

Her eyes bulged and she got to her feet, skittering backward until she lost balance and plopped back to the ground with a loud _splash_. No sooner had she fallen did wide ripples gather by the edge of the spring and shrink towards its center, and as they disappeared droplets of water sprang out of the pond's center, as if something that had fallen into the pool had caused a reverse splash.

There was barely a split second of inaction after this, and then a single stream of light curled out of the water, splitting into several streaks that swirled around each other until they formed a transparent sphere. Silently it ascended into the air and as it did the great boulders that were placed towards the back of the pond began to glow, highlighting the hieroglyphs and symbols that had been carved into their faces centuries before.

As the ball reached its desired altitude the light emanating from it brightened, attracting the eyes of all and in the next instant it released a blast of light that surged through the town, blowing into every Shadow and causing them to release shrill screams of anguish.

Their shrieks were still sounding when the orb pulsed again and two great, golden wings extended from its core, stretching to brush against the ebony sky. The body of a colossal, shining bird followed, and it spread its wide, glittering arms with a flourish as it noiselessly perched atop the ball of light.

Moving at that same, graceful pace it raised its head to view the village and with a flash of its perfectly circular eyes and a single beat of its wings, it unleashed a storm of brilliance.

Alexandria ducked when a powerful wind rushed by first, then raised her eyes in time to see the light shoot past next and her expression reverted from emotionless focus to fearful horror as the illumination blasted each of her soldiers, leaving neither traces of darkness nor curls of black mist to prove that they still existed somewhere.

With her confidence fading her eyes circled the area and even the sky as the Shadows' bloodcurdling screeches rent the air. By the time she turned to view the northern end of the village, she was completely alone.

Standing at the end of the road near the fountain she stood still, regaining her breath with heaving shoulders as her crimson eyes darted from one corner to another, searching vainly for a creature that could still give her the upper hand. But no such sight met her eyes.

A cool wind blew across the road, sending her silky hair flying all around her and she turned, cautiously, as the spirit of Eldin lowered its bright eyes to her.

She broke eye contact with it when Captain Regal approached her, bloodied, battered and bruised as a testament to his miraculous survival. Stopping before her, he held out his sword in a position of combat and pinned her with black eyes, waiting for her reaction.

Alexandria shifted to face him fully and sent her eyes to the gleaming spirit once more. Then her gaze switched to the road, completely bathed in divine light, and followed the movements of Ashei, Renée and other nearby Gorons as they adjusted to the deity's shimmering form. As if feeling her eyes upon them, they turned their eyes to her.

Alexandria pressed her lips into a thin line and her red irises flitted back to Eldin, then down to Regal. Then, straightening her shoulders she graciously extended her sword, her knuckles whiter than her skin and her hand trembling.

And she dropped it.

Regal lowered his blade and loosened his stance and with her eyes narrowing, Alexandria raised her hands in surrender.

* * *

Brent stumbled out of the portal first, peering across the blue-bathed fields as the rest of his companions exited the whirling gateway. By the time Midna had done so, clutching her head with a pained expression, Link had just finished re-equipping the Master Sword to his back with the sheath he had stored in his belt pouch. Midna's guards stepped out soon after and the portal whistled shut, sealing them in the darkness of Hyrule once more.

"Midna!" Zelda pivoted when the Twilight Princess emitted a soft groan and sagged to her knees. Zelda dropped down beside her. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm…" Midna lifted her chin so that she could see Zelda's worried face. "I'm okay…" Suddenly, she let out a small laugh. "Kind of reminds you of how we first met, huh?" She strained to view Zelda through her fogging eyes. "It's nice to know that you remember how to make old faces…hah…"

"Midna –!"

Before Zelda could catch her one of the Twili guards stooped down and gathered the unconscious ruler into its arms. Its beady, red eyes moved over to its partner who, after staring at him for a second, looked at the humans.

"The Princess will be fine," it said, its voice sounding just as alien as its appearance, thus granting it a strange, yet unquestionably foreign accent. "The Grell has exhausted her strength. She simply needs rest."

The group only stared at it, so astounded that it had spoken that they showed no obvious interest in what it had actually said.

"You can _talk_?" Brent finally blurt out.

The two Twili only stared at him in discomforting silence.

"I guess it's one of those 'only-when-it's-necessary' kind of things," Link figured, looking back at him.

"Where are we right now?" Dijonay asked, toying with the hem of her skirt as she eyed the plains warily.

"It would seem we are a bit north of the village," Zelda informed her after scanning the shadowy landscape. "If what the Twili said is correct, then Midna was too tired to have brought us all the way into the village."

"So it looks like we're walking," Link concluded.

"Haven't done that in a while," Brent added.

"Which way do we go?" Dijonay inquired next.

"That way." Zelda pointed directly ahead of them where the dead grass shifted into a dry, dirt path that climbed up a slight slope and off into the darkness. Dijonay twisted her skirt one last time before releasing it from her fingers.

"I've been feeling a bit different since we saw that Fairy," Link thought aloud a moment later as they approached the path.

"How so?" Zelda asked.

"I don't know…" He frowned as he pulled out his lantern and switched it on. "Heavier?"

"Well, you were a bit of an airhead earlier," Brent spoke up.

"Thanks." But he couldn't help smiling; looking back, he had been rather empty-headed.

"I mean, you nearly blew us up back in that tunnel," Brent went on lightheartedly. "And do you remember back at the Palace when we were all going to be eating in the Dining Hall for the first time? You tripped a servant and it dropped everything and destroyed the entire set-up – it was like some kind of Rebino effect! And you didn't say sorry, either."

"Rebino?" Link looked at Brent questioningly.

"It is a game played in Arkania," Dijonay informed him. "Most people like to set the pieces up in a long row and push the one at the end over so that it knocks all the other ones down one by one."

"Oh."

"Arkania is the country that you two come from, is it not?" Zelda inquired. "An empire across the sea."

"Yes." Dijonay turned her eyes to the noble.

"It is almost worrisome to know that such a place exists without our really being aware of it," Zelda continued darkly. "The world is much bigger than we had once thought. It is almost as if the ocean not only divides us, but it keeps us from properly learning of one another."

"Yes…" Dijonay returned her eyes to the road, but upon registering how dark it was she tried to focus on those that were around her. "Before we had come here, we had all believed Hyrule to be a myth."

When Zelda echoed that last word interestedly, Dijonay conceded to give her an explanation, "Though now, I am rather ashamed of it, there is much prejudice towards Hylians in the empire, and most of it is centered in the Arkanian Province, where we are from. I suppose the truth has been lost since the time of the Great Flood, but Hylians began to share tales of a country called 'Hyrule': a blessed and sacred land that would serve as their sanctuary from the horror of – from Arkanian oppression." With her slip-up Dijonay tore her eyes from the intrigued look of the princess, her countenance flooded by disgrace.

"Arkanians told Hylians it was a lie though," Brent picked up as they started to ascend the hill along the dirt trail, "in order to keep them oppressed, or to keep them from getting the bright idea to stowaway and try to get to Hyrule."

"Would that be bad?" Link asked.

"For them, yeah." The humor in Brent's eyes had been replaced by a look of monotonous disinterest. "If all the Hylians were to leave, who would do the Arkanians' chores?"

There was a small edge in Brent's voice that Link decided to ignore as he looked away.

"But, that will all soon change, at least in the province of Arkania," Dijonay reminded Brent hopefully. "After seeing Hyrule for myself, and learning of the goodness of Hylians, I have sworn to try and abolish slavery."

"The goodness of Hylians?" Zelda repeated, furrowing her brow.

"Hylians haven't been thought of highly since the Great Flood," Brent told the ruler, peeking at her over his shoulder. "The story says that the goddesses only asked the Hylians to take refuge, and supposedly the Hylians didn't let the Arkanians in on it. Ever since then, we've been labeled selfish, greedy, inconsiderate…"

"How horrible," Zelda broke in, her face falling.

"It is," Link confirmed, recalling his time in the far-off land. "Even when I showed up there, looking for Telma, the people were all looking at me like I owed them something and didn't want to admit it. If I hadn't met Brent and Renée, I probably would've wound up in prison just for existing."

"Prison?" Zelda was unquestionably stunned by that idea; it seemed absolutely unreasonable. What disturbed her even more was the fact that she had come so close to losing the only person that could truly help to restore her country.

"It's all reasoned behind a bunch of political curtains and fancy talk," Brent explained, as if he were reading her thoughts. "But no matter how you look at it, it isn't acceptable."

Dijonay lowered her eyes sadly as the group fell quiet, striding through the shadowy scenery as they continued towards Kakariko. Then, gaining a sudden urge that she could not contain, she looked towards Brent. "Brent, what is your favorite color?"

"What?" Brent stopped and turned to her, his face puckered in confusion. Link also rounded on her, though more in interest.

"Your favorite color," Dijonay repeated, catching up to him.

Brent maintained a perplexed expression. "Why?"

"Because, I want to know!"

"It's blue…"

"Like your hair?"

"No, like the sky. Why?"

"Oh… Because you like flying?" She watched him with her eyes enlarged with inquisitiveness, and his confusion only increased.

"Yeah…"

"Well, I was just curious." Dijonay continued down the path and after deciding to disregard her interrogation, Brent followed. But then a few minutes later, another inquiry came to her. "What do you like to eat?"

Brent frowned. "Where is this coming from?"

"Can you just tell me?"

"…I eat just about anything."

"Oh… Because you always need your strength?" She spiraled to look at him again with that same, child-like curiosity.

He smirked, but still had a questioning air about him. "Why are you so interested all of a sudden?"

"Because…" The girl suddenly blushed and turned around, thus unaware of the frown Brent quickly exchanged with Link. "I…still do not know you very well…in spite of our being related."

Suddenly recalling her words from earlier that week, Brent caught up to her this time and with his height could easily perceive her reddened cheeks. He smiled sympathetically. "Usually, if you want to get to know someone, you just hang around them. I mean, asking a bunch of questions kinda makes it…" He fished for the right description. "Awkward."

"O-oh…" Dijonay dipped her chin into her chest as if she could hide from his gaze. "I apologize."

"No need to apologize for it. You're just socially awkward." His eyes twinkled. "I can accept that."

Dijonay's eyes shot up to him and she frowned defensively. "I-I am _not_ socially awkward!"

Behind them Zelda watched with a small smile. Distantly she could remember it having been mentioned to her that Brent and Dijonay were siblings, however the circumstances surrounding why they were not very close had not been revealed to her. But after having learned a bit about the history of their country and reminding herself that Brent was Hylian and Dijonay was not, she could easily figure out why they had been separated.

"Princess?"

Zelda's eyes turned to Link when he addressed her.

"Are you all right?"

"What…?" Zelda blinked and suddenly realized how blurry her vision was. Hastily she swiped a finger beneath her eye and to her surprise saw that the tip of her extremity was now wet. Fighting down her emotions, she proceeded to brush the rest of her tears away. "Yes. I am fine." But after she had cleared her eyes, she wondered why she had suddenly started crying.

Her concern was soon pushed aside when she registered the faint light of distant torches further down the road. Her ears picked up their furious crackling before she finally saw them and as she drew nearer, her gaze flicked between both sides of the iron gates that the burning lights stood beside. There was no one standing in either location.

"The soldiers were supposed to be acting as sentinels, were they not?" she spoke up as the four of them and the Twili paused in front of the northern entrance. Having had her eyes focused on Brent, the inquiry was directed at him.

"That's what they said they would do," he replied.

"Perhaps they are between shifts?" Dijonay suggested.

"They can't be that irresponsible." Dijonay looked at Brent when he said this, disturbed by the stern tone he had taken, and by strength of the firelight she could see that a sense of guarded trepidation had crossed his features.

Without another word he marched through the gates and continued along the mountain trail with the others following. Being at the front of the party he was the first to step into the boundary of the community, and as such was the first to stop short.

Black scorch marks had been rubbed into the street and the sides of houses, and most of the buildings looked as if they had been abandoned after having suffered part of a construction demolition. Smoke was still coiling off of the edges of the ragged gaps in the destroyed homes and everywhere the stench of bomb powder hung, thick and powerful.

Planks of wood and debris littered the street, along with the corpses of a couple of soldiers and – to Brent's shock – Gorons, some of them so marred that it was difficult to rest one's eyes on, while others just lay there, bent in strange places and their empty eyes turned towards the sky.

Yet over all a soft, golden light pulsed, drifting from the southern part of the village. Raising their eyes to the source, the group drew a quiet breath upon spotting the dynamic, glowing bird that hovered over the village spring, its elongated face turned down to a group of small beings standing by the edges of its fountain.

Brent and Dijonay gaped, their wide eyes reflecting the creature's magnificence, but their amazement was wrecked when Link let out an abrupt shout, "_Illia!"_

Before either of them could react he had dashed off, heading towards the Ordonian children, Rusl and a Goron, all of whom were walking away from the trail leading to Death Mountain. At the same time Midna's personal guards carried her to the Elde Inn, ignoring any bewildered or curious stares from any nearby villagers, for they had grown accustomed to them throughout the week.

Link halted abruptly when he could clearly see Illia's features and his heart clenched. Long, red marks bruised the circumference of her neck, each of them sprinkled with miniscule, dark polka-dots, and her head was hanging back over the Goron's arm. She was also uncommonly pale.

"Link –!" Talo started, but Link didn't notice him, instead sending his attention to the Goron.

"What happened?!"

"Brother!" The Goron started, surprised by his sudden arrival, but then he dropped violet eyes to the girl In his arms. "She…"

"She'll be all right," Rusl assured his old friend, nodding gravely. "This Goron saved her life; all she needs is some Fairy Water from the spring and she'll be as good as she was before." His eyes moved to a spot over Link's shoulder as Dijonay, Zelda and Brent approached, though Link took no notice of them either.

"What happened?" he repeated, his heart still pounding.

"We were discovered by an army of Demonics," Rusl answered shortly, looking between each of those that had gathered before him, relating to their sinking expressions. "I don't know who led them to come here, but they swarmed in without warning. The others and I tried fending some of them off with bombs from Barnes' store, and we sent the children to the Death Mountain Trail so that they could find refuge before we were completely conquered. But, on the way…"

"One of them grabbed Illia," Colin piped up sadly, drawing their attention. He was holding his sister's hand and his eyes were starting to glisten. "If the Gorons hadn't come to us when they did, I…I don't know what would've happened…" He sniffed.

"I told you, Colin, there's no need to worry," Rusl said, putting a hand on his son's head. "Don't cry over things that didn't happen."

Colin wiped an arm beneath his nose and nodded glumly.

"I will take her to the inn and bring her some Fairy water," the Goron mumbled and he maneuvered his way through the group and headed towards his announced destination.

"I heard you all went to see a Fairy," Rusl continued after urging the children to follow the rock-eater, saying that Illia would want to see them when she awoke. After passing Link and the others silent, sad glances, they did so. "I haven't seen you since you came to Kakariko, but I'm assuming things are all right for you now?" He was looking at Link.

"…Yeah." Link brought himself out of his thoughts at Rusl's words.

"I'm going to find Ren and the others," Brent declared, and he took off. Dijonay hastily followed.

"You should go as well," Rusl said to Link, though it came across as more of an order than a suggestion. "I'm sure your friends could probably explain the situation to you better than I could."

"Y-yeah…" Link stepped away from Rusl distractedly, and then he went after Brent and Dijonay at a sprint.

"The spirit, Eldin," Zelda began once Link had left, attracting Rusl's focus. "Did he show up recently?"

"Yes." Rusl nodded respectfully. "He actually saved us from those monsters; as soon as he appeared, they all disappeared. Not a trace of them left."

Zelda voiced no response to this, but instead directed grateful eyes to the elegant being as it conversed with those that were standing near it. But when another thought occurred to her, she granted her attention to Rusl once more. "Are you positive that Link's friend will be all right?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Rusl nodded stiffly, but confidently. "I once had a similar condition earlier this year. When I came to, my village told me that Fairy Water had helped."

"…How did your village know that Fairy Water would work?" Zelda went on. She did not mean to be spiteful, and hoped that she did not sound that way, but truthfully, she wanted to know why such a simple place as Ordona Province would be aware of ways to treat injuries made by Demonics.

"Actually, my village didn't know," Rusl replied modestly. "We were told by a boy that we had temporarily taken in. He…had a strange appearance, I'll admit," Rusl's lips twitched with a smile of remembrance, "but he was a good kid."

"Boy?"

"Yes. His name was Morbex. Last I heard he had joined with Link and left; but that was several months ago. None of us have seen him since then."

Zelda lowered her eyes with a thoughtful hum of acknowledgement, recalling the blue-skinned imp and how he had once been so willing to aid her in her fight to defend her kingdom from his own brother.

_Yet, in the end…_

"Renée!"

At the sound of her name Renée turned her face from Eldin, one hand resting on the hilt of her sword that was now tucked into her sheath. She fixed her eyes on the nearing form that had shortly waved to her and upon recognizing him, she took a few loud but quick steps out of the fountain in her excitement. "Brent!"

Mekial, who had also been standing at the edge of the fountain, spiraled at the name, as did Regal and Ashei. "Dijonay!" he called out when the prime minister came into view and he hurried to greet her with a quick hug.

As he did, Renée's eyes brightened upon seeing another approaching figure. "And Link! So you're okay?!"

"That's my line!" Before she could register what he had said Brent pulled her into a tight embrace, then held her at arm's length. "It's good to see you're okay. All of you."

"More of your comrades, I presume?" Brent, Dijonay and Link looked up to Eldin when it spoke. "And among them" – its bright eyes fell to Link – "the goddesses' chosen hero…"

"Yes." Renée refaced it. "They were up in the northern province. Brent, this is Eldin, one of the light spirits." Renée looked at her friend, her eyes shining. But with her next words, her happiness dimmed. "You guys heard, right? We got attacked –"

"By Shadows. Yeah, we heard." Brent took a few steps forward until he was standing beside her, craning his neck back so that he could look up into the deity's face.

"It saved us," Renée said to him quietly.

"Blood was spilled in my waters," the great creature informed them, looking at its small audience with clear, unblinking eyes, "and it led me to act. I only wish that I had done so sooner."

It raised its head to peer at the main road as a couple approached, their frayed clothes stained by gunpowder and tearstains running through the dirt that smudged their faces. In the woman's arms she held a small, brown-haired girl whose blood had long since dried against the back of her tunic, and with quiet sobs the woman approached the spring and laid the girl in the water, her body wracking with grief as she waited for something to happen.

Dijonay's eyes flitted off to her left at a sign of movement and then doubled-back upon seeing that Katrina had trailed after the parents, her head hung low and her clothes soaked in blood. But, judging by how much of it was there, Dijonay guessed that it was not hers; she had probably been carrying someone.

Turning her eyes back to the fountain, she watched as some of the crimson liquid softened and drifted off the girl's back to coil into the holy water, streaming away from her body and inching towards Eldin. But as it neared the source of the ethereal light, it disappeared.

"This one's soul has already departed," the creature stated somberly after watching the man and woman for a brief moment. "I can do nothing for her."

The woman sat there for a second, dazed by Eldin's statement as tears pooled in her widened eyes. Finally she released a fresh gasp that turned into a whisper of denial and with a scream of sorrow she clutched her dead child closer and buried her face in the girl's shirt, her entire form quaking with anguish. Her husband held her tightly, and from his constricted eyes tears spilled down his cheeks.

There was another movement in Dijonay's side vision and she peeked over at it: Katrina was walking away.

The sight of the Corvenian turned into a blurry mass as the mother kept wailing, and with a sniff Dijonay returned her attention to her. But when she glimpsed the child's corpse her sympathy soared and hastily she jogged away. Mekial watched her as she hurried towards the Elde Inn, then he returned his attention to the continuing conversation.

"We lost a lot of people." Renée dropped her eyes with her brow crinkling, struggling to maintain a clear head as the mother's wails continued even as she and her husband walked away. "…I don't know how many."

"Private Richter," Captain Regal started, attracting Brent and Link's attention. His eyes, too, were downcast and his thick eyebrows were furrowed with woe, forming deep wrinkles upon his forehead, "General Falon, Lieutenant Turk, and even Ison, who was killed at the south gate along with Richter. There are some Gorons that were lost as well."

"Did the Shadows show up on their own?" Brent asked.

"No." Brent looked at Renée. "They were brought here by Malbex's accomplice: Alexandria Ruheart."

"She took it upon herself to get rid of us," Ashei put in, striding out of the fountain to come closer to the group.

Link's eyes tightened. "Where is she now?"

"She's being held in the sanctuary basement," Mekial replied. "The Generals think we should keep her there and use her as some kind of leverage later."

"What kind of leverage?" Brent asked.

"Presumably as a hostage," Ashei replied. "Some way to try and coax Malbex either out of hiding or into surrendering. After all, she can control his army at will; it wouldn't be good for him if anything happened to her."

"…But there's someone else who can do that for him," Link pointed out after a quick second. "He's another one of Malbex's henchmen."

"…Tentra." The name fell out of Regal's mouth at a growl as he suddenly remembered the man.

"Who's that?" Ashei looked from Regal to Link questioningly.

"He's a man who all but turned himself in to the Generals right before the Soldier's Rebellion," Regal explained. "He was imprisoned, but then he escaped. We haven't seen him since. But" – he frowned – "how do you know about him, Link?"

"Because he's framed me twice," Link informed him, his face darkening. "Once for a massacre near Arkania, and then again for the Soldier's Rebellion."

"The Rebellion?" Ashei looked mildly surprised.

"He must have the same ability as Ruheart," Regal surmised, holding his beard contemplatively. "Before I helped free Link and his friends from the public execution, someone had told me that Link had been framed. But he hadn't told me that it was Tentra who had done it."

"Who told you that?"

"A wanderer." Regal released his beard. "Yet he seemed oddly well-acquainted with events in the castle."

"The abilities that you speak of – the power to disguise oneself as someone else – is magic of the Fenri tribe." Eldin's humming vocals drew everyone's eyes towards it as it rejoined the conversation. "A powerful and formidable group of people that the goddesses loved."

"You know about the Fenri?" Brent inquired, interested in the spirit's claim.

"Yes." The shimmering entity turned its great head towards the one that had questioned it. "And of their dark powers, which they once shared with their neighbors, the Twili."

Link exchanged looks with the others. "What do you mean, "dark powers"?"

"Their tribe is closely acquainted with dark magic," Eldin replied, its white eyes meeting his. "Magic that the goddesses decreed forbidden. But, like the Twili, the Fenri discovered spells that disobeyed the goddesses' laws."

"Like what?" Brent pressed.

"Spells that can tear souls apart," Eldin informed them, "as well as magic that can raise the dead, distort memories, beliefs or even aspirations."

"The dead?" Mekial repeated worriedly.

"That certainly sounds illegal," Regal noted.

"The goddesses loved the Fenri," Eldin repeated. "However, when the days of the Twili Interlopers began, the goddesses worried that the Fenri would also attempt to communicate with foreign nations. If they were to do so, they would lead the world into an age of discord, and corrupt it until all nations had lost sight of the goddesses and their teachings."

"That's when the goddesses banished the Twili, wasn't it?" Link spoke up, picking at the memories that he had recently recovered. "Then they tried to do the same to the Fenri."

"So that's the story behind their Pact, right?" Renée guessed. "They didn't want to get banished so they just agreed to stay in Eldonis. And the goddesses spared them, because that was what they'd wanted all along…"

"The goddesses wanted to keep the hearts of every being that they had created," Eldin continued, "and so they swore that if even one Fenri were to disrespect the Pact, they would wipe out their entire country, and any places that the escaped Fenri had come into contact with. For they would rather lose one people than all of humanity."

"But from what we know, one of the Fenri made a wish on the Triforce to nullify that Pact," Ashei said, crossing her arms as she viewed the spirit. "So, what now?"

"…How unfortunate," Eldin said after a moment, having briefly considered what Ashei's statement entailed. "Now all that is left is for the Triforce to react to that Fenri's heart in the way that the goddesses designed it to. But, even having been out here for as short a time as I have been" – it looked towards the dark overcast – "I can see that that Fenri's heart is not the one of purity that the Triforce seeks." It lowered its eyes back to its audience. "Once more, this land has been draped in darkness."

"Are you going to leave?" Mekial asked, sensing disappointment in the spirit's tone.

"No; I will remain here. Although every last one of those dark beasts are now gone, there is a chance that they may return. If they do, I will be here."

"Thank you," Link said gratefully.

"Yeah. But there's still one more thing that I'd like to know." Brent's eyes shifted from the glimmering spirit to fix upon Mekial. "You said Ruheart's in the sanctuary?"

"In the lowest part of the cellar," Mekial replied.

"Why?" Regal stepped in incredulously. "Do you mean to speak to her?"

"Yeah." Brent met the captain's hard stare with a determined one of his own. "Somewhat."

"I don't think you'll get much out of her, yeah?" Ashei said. "She's tougher than she looks."

Brent didn't look fazed. "I'll handle it."

"You?" Regal frowned. "Perhaps you should leave something like that up to –"

"I'm sorry, Captain," Renée jumped in, "but Brent's interrogated people before. Back in our country, he's the leader of a rebel force." Her expression was just as resolute as her tone. "Confidently, I can tell you that he knows what he's doing."

Regal fell silent, regarding each of them beneath a stern, furrowed brow. "…All right. It should be safe enough, anyhow. Kakariko used to be an extension of the capital and so part of the sanctuary used to act as a jail cell. We've found some chains there for her. She can also do something strange with her eyes, as we've blindfolded her."

"Strange how?" Brent frowned.

"Her eyes get really dark," Renée started to explain, frowning as she remembered the strange occurrence. "Then the next thing you know, you hear all these whispers, like a bunch of people are hissing things into your ears. I didn't know what they were saying…all I know is that there were so many of those voices…"

"_You _didn't know?" Brent picked out. "So she did it to you?"

Renée bobbed her chin. "Probably another Fenri ability."

"Yeah…" Ashei frowned thoughtfully as something was jogged in the back of her mind. "I think General Bourke mentioned how she did the same thing to him during the Soldier's Rebellion while we were coming here."

"Then it's a good thing you've blindfolded her," Brent concluded. "But, I'll be sure to keep my guard up, anyway." That said, he strode towards the sanctuary.

Once he disappeared inside, Ashei directed her attention to Link, Regal, Mekial and Renée. "I'm going to help move the bodies to the graveyard." She looked over their shoulders so as to gaze deeper into the village, where she had noticed people milling about as they tried to get the corpses ready to carry off. "It looks like they could use some help, yeah?"

"I'll come with you," Link volunteered and as Ashei and Regal walked away from the fountain's edge, he turned his eyes to Renée. She was viewing Mekial who, at Ashei's announcement, had suddenly gained a disturbed aura. Link's eyes flicked from her to him. "Renée?"

"I'll stay here," she said, glancing at him with a hint of apology.

Link said nothing, but after passing one last look between the two, turned around and followed Ashei and Regal.

Upon gaining a better view of the deceased Gorons and soldiers, Link discovered just how badly they had been wounded. Open gashes were still visible underneath the soldiers' broken armor, and two of the five dead Gorons looked so mangled that it was difficult to view them with a straight face. To hide their warped appearances, the villagers covered their bodies with large blankets; likewise for the soldiers.

Out of all the bodies, the Gorons' were the toughest to carry off. While only a couple of citizens were needed to lift the corpses of the fallen soldiers and place them on planks of broken wood to carry them, it took about five or six people to carry one rock-eater at a time. Spotting their struggle some of the other Gorons that were still alive, including the elders and Darbus, came over and carried their brethren over their shoulders so as to ferry their carcasses to the cemetery.

Link went along with the procession in silence, his gloved hands supporting one side of the wooden bed that he held over his shoulder. On it was the body of a male civilian, probably in his mid-thirties. Although it had pained him, Link had not been too surprised when he learned that some of the villagers had been slain in the crosshairs of the invasion – after all, one Shadow was difficult enough to handle. He could barely imagine being overrun by an entire army of them, and the idea became even harder to picture when he considered how nearly all of the villagers carried no weapons.

The people of Kakariko were a simple folk, living in a community only twice the size of Ordon. It was likely that they had suffered on the behalf of him and his companions because, if anything, Alexandria Ruheart had arrived in order to find them. And when she could not, she had taken it out on innocent people.

He wished he could have been here to help them fight but, then again, he probably would not have survived long due to his previous state of mind. As such, he resolved that all he could do now was to take advantage of his recovery and strike down the regime of the Shadows at their source.

The cemetery was darker than the village, lit only by a handful of crackling torches. This was to be expected of course, since the gravesite was located on a hill behind one of the mountains that walled in the village. This being so, Eldin's golden light could not reach it, could not touch this place of death and despair – could not shine upon those whose lives had ended long ago.

The place was cluttered and unorganized, with weathered gravestones huddled in groups or laid out in scattered places with no pattern whatsoever. It was a poor place to lay the deceased, but it was all that Kakariko had.

Some of the men that had carried the fallen had brought shovels with them and without a word they set to work, digging deep holes to bury those that had once fought for them. The Generals also stepped forward to help, as did Link, and when the holes were big enough they proceeded to place the bodies inside.

"Not even a casket."

Link's ears tingled at the comment and peeking off to the side gave him a view of Bourke as he straightened up from lowering one of the bodies into a hole. His blue eyes were narrowed with a mixture of rage and subdued sorrow as he glared down at the blanket that hid Ison's face.

He tore his eyes away with a curse, then snatched up a shovel and started dumping dirt back into the hole.

Link returned his eyes to the hole that was in front of him to view the large, blanketed lump that was a Goron. As he looked at it he sensed a presence over his shoulder and looking up showed that it was Darbus. He stepped forward and Link hurriedly moved out of his path before the creature could knock him into the hole along with the dirt he was pushing back into it.

"We arrived to repay a debt," Gor Coron informed the Hylian, coming up from Link's right and Link turned his eyes to him. "You have helped us twice now, Brother. And despite the circumstances, on behalf of my people, I tell you that we will continue to stand as your allies until this is seen through."

His promise stated Gor Coron marched away to aid with the remaining burials, and at the same time Link turned his face back to the grave before him in order to pay his respects.

But right when he did his ears picked up a sound coming from the back of the graveyard. Directing all of his focus towards that location, Link gazed through the dimness in order to find where the noise was coming from.

In the rear of the cemetery, behind a single torch there was a set of eroded, stone stairs that led up to a platform with two dead trees standing on either side of it. There was a lone figure hunched between those trees and learning that it was the source of the noise that he had heard, he journeyed towards it.

He ascended the old staircase quietly, and once at their head discovered that the figure he had seen was a person, her forehead pressed to the ground and her hair falling around her small frame. Although her back was facing him Link could see that her shoulders were shaking with each hushed sniffle that she emitted, and as such he chose not to move too close: he stopped a couple feet away from the stairs.

Katrina sniffed one last time and peeked back through a curtain of brown locks, then whipped back around and wiped her eyes. "Oh… It's you."

After her cheeks had been slightly cleared she stood to her feet and faced him, her face stained with tears and her thin eyes bearing a reddish tint. "What is it?"

"…Nothing," Link replied, realizing that he had been staring at her. "I just…came to see if everything was all right."

As if those words had pulled some kind of trigger, Katrina's lips trembled and her eyebrows quivered. Link froze.

Catching herself, Katrina brushed away the oncoming tears with a breathless, somber laugh. "Y'know…" Her arm flopped to her side. "I was really wrong." She swallowed, staring off at nothing. "I wanted to find the man that ruined…_everything_ for me. I wanted him and his army dead…because I didn't want to see any more of…of _this_." Her voice nearly broke as she clumsily swung her arm out at the crowded graveyard and pursing her lips, she flipped her eyes to the sky to prevent another wave of tears. "…Now it's like I've lost everything…all over again."

Choking she covered her face, struggling vainly to constrain herself. "And…I just…"

_I don't know who to be mad at anymore._

Her knees shook and she fell to the ground, gripping her face with her hands.

Link only continued to stare at her, blindsided by what he had walked into. He could remember the times he had seen Beth cry, even Illia, and then he had been fine and known how to be of help.

But Katrina was neither of them. Not even close.

Still, he had to try; he couldn't leave her like this after all.

"You know, I… I don't know who my parents are," he said deliberately, chancing a couple of steps closer. "And I don't know if I have any brothers. Or sisters. …For as long as I can remember, I was alone."

Katrina's crying continued, each restrained sob interrupted by a quiet hiccup.

He chose to press on. "For the longest time I'd always wondered why I didn't have anyone, and why it was decided for me that I should be by myself. I remember seeing other kids with their families and wondering why I wasn't them. …But above all, I remember I was angry.

"I know it may not be the same," he went on and he knelt in front of her, so that if she were to lift her head they would be at eye-level, "and I can't imagine what it must have been like to have seen what happened here for the second time. But…I can imagine what it's like to feel alone."

With one last sniff, Katrina finally viewed him through puffy red eyes while swiping an arm beneath her nose. "Wh…why are you trying to be so nice to me?" She cast her eyes off to the side, afraid to look him in the eye. "I…tried to kill you. I tried...so hard to find a reason to..."

"I try not to think about that."

Her brow wrinkled even more and with a reserved hiccup, she chanced another look at him. In that instant, Link saw a vulnerability that he had never known was part of her. "So…you don't hate me?"

Link paused, taken aback by the inquiry before he gave her a truthful answer. "No. I don't."

Katrina averted her eyes again and clenched and unclenched a fist in her lap, as if that could help to reinforce the barrier that was slowly crumbling around her. "I…don't hate you either." Her lips trembled slightly. "…But, I still –" She stopped.

The quiet crackling of torches and the villagers' soft voices muddled the air between them, and realizing Katrina no longer desired to talk Link pulled his eyes away. But then he was unsure of where to look.

Katrina got to her feet but still did not look at him, did not allow him to see the cold-hearted despair that had once more crept around her. "…Thank you."

Voicing nothing else she swept past him, hopped down the stone stairs and marched back into the village. No eyes followed her as she left, no concerned faces save that of Link, who had stood to watch her go.


	17. Chapter 17

**NOTE!**

**So, recently, and I don't know if any of you older readers noticed, I took down chapter seventeen in order to revise it because there were some serious plot holes that would've killed the rest of the story D: So, here it is, re-done.**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

Alexandria shifted against the hard rock wall of the cellar and moved her head from side to side, as if that could loosen the blindfold that was wrapped around her eyes. But no matter what she did the cloth remained, digging into her skin and blackening her surroundings. Somehow it made the cavernous cave feel even larger, daunting her with its size. Even the buzzing silence seemed to possess an intimidating strength.

She took a deep, shuddering breath and tried moving her hands, which were chained to the wall above her, breaking the silence with the gentle tinkling of iron.

She wondered what Malbex would think if he saw her here. Would he be glad that she had tried to cover up what could have been a mistake on his part? Or would he be disappointed that she had failed?

Just as she began to ponder the idea distant footsteps sounded in the underground staircase that led to her location. It was only one person she could tell, but with a spark of confusion, picked out that there was no clanking armor to accompany the advancing being. Instinctively, her muscles tensed.

"So…you're Alexandria Ruheart."

She didn't recognize the voice. Then again, she didn't recognize anyone's voice in this place.

"I've only got a few things to ask you," the young male went on. "So let's not make this complicated."

Brent paused, taking in the woman's ragged appearance. Her armor was dirtied and scratched in a few places and her long silver hair was matted and stringy. She was also much smaller than he had pictured, almost in a fragile sense; it was difficult to believe that she was capable of such feats as impersonation and leading an entire battalion of Shadows.

But he knew that mere exteriors were no cause for underestimating anyone.

Alexandria kept her body stock-still, her heart clanging in its cage, and her lips were so tightly pressed that they formed little more than a straight line across her pale face.

Brent spoke again, "Who's Tentra?"

The laugh jumped out before she could stop it, a brisk snicker as if he had said some corny punch line.

Brent didn't react. "He's a joke to you?"

Alexandria didn't answer, only raised her head with the smallest ghost of a smile.

Tentra.

She had always hated Tentra. Though the reason for her strong dislike of him remained a mystery to her, she knew that the feeling was still real.

"All I want you to tell me is who he is," Brent pressed.

Alexandria's heart rate slowed and her smile faded, sinking back into that straight line.

"Won't talk, huh…"

Alexandria held her breath in the stillness that followed. Soon it was broken by the sound of her interrogator drawing nearer and she pulled her legs closer to her body, her heart rate picking up again. As soon as she did the stranger halted and with goosebumps crawling all over her she sensed that he was now within arm's reach.

Without warning something closed around her neck and she released a sharp cry when the back of her head was banged into the wall. Instantly the world swirled and her head rolled onto her shoulder.

Her inquirer's next words came to her ears at an almost jumbled mumble, "Don't think that staying silent will serve you any good – you're not getting any special treatment. So when I ask you something, you'll talk. Unless you want another knot on the back of your skull."

Moaning quietly Alexandria managed to raise her head, only to have it sag onto her other shoulder. Her chest heaved with soft gasps and beneath her blindfold she scrunched her eyes, willing for everything to balance out. "M…nn…"

Brent waited.

"Where…" Her heavy breathing became more apparent, "where…am I…?"

She attempted to sit up and with a strangled grunt found she couldn't pull away from the wall. The sound of clinking iron rang in her ears and she directed her hindered gaze to the silhouette hunching before her. "Wh…where…?"

Brent narrowed his eyes and in the blink of an eye banged her head against the wall again. "Don't play games with me," he uttered lowly as Alexandria recoiled, her mouth opening with a silent cry. "Trying to play innocent isn't going to excuse everything you've done."

Alexandria sniveled and her silver eyebrows puckered.

"Now, are you going to talk? Or do I have to do something else to get something out of you?"

The woman rolled her head onto the shoulder opposite of where the stranger's voice was coming from, waiting for the pulsing of her head to cease. She groaned something incoherently, something that Brent could barely catch and then slid her head off of her shoulder.

Sniffling again, she parted her dry lips to speak, "M…Master… Please…" She broke off with a quiet cry. "It, it hurts… Where are you…?"

Brent knit his brow. He hadn't hit her hard enough to cause mental trauma. Was this woman seriously trying to fool him?

Alexandria cringed with another throbbing of her skull. "Master Malbex…please… I, I can't see you…"

She hiccupped quietly, her brow and chin wobbling, and Brent's thoughts screeched to a halt.

"Please…" Alexandria turned her hidden eyes to him. "Stop hurting me…"

Brent didn't respond.

She wasn't playing games.

* * *

It wasn't until all of the dead had been buried did Link exit the graveyard with the intent of going back to the inn. Although he knew it probably wasn't likely he wanted to see if Illia had awoken yet or at least if she was faring as well as Rusl had claimed she would be.

As he circled around the backside of the sanctuary he heard the faintest sound of small projectiles whipping through the air. Tilting his head back, he directed his eyes to the rooftop of the Elde Inn and there could make out the silhouette of someone standing there with their bow raised. It wasn't Ashei, since she had still been in the graveyard when he had left, so he guessed it was Katrina.

Sure enough when the person launched an arrow into a bull's eye target before her and then stepped forth to draw it out, Link spotted Katrina's face in Eldin's bright light.

Link lowered his eyes back to the building and started towards the entrance, but right when he placed a foot on the ramp he heard his name being called. He turned, recognizing the voice, and spotted Brent making his way towards him.

"D'you know where Ren and the others are?" he asked as he came closer.

"My guess is they're all inside," Link replied, studying his grave expression. "You finished up with Ruheart?"

"Yeah."

"What'd she say?"

Brent's troubled countenance looked even grimmer. "That's what I wanted to talk to you all about."

* * *

"What're you thinking about?" Mekial stared across the table at his sister, interested in the reason behind her brooding expression.

"Oh…" Renée looked up from the table. "I was thinking about Eldin."

"Oh, yeah." Mekial grinned. "Great lamp."

Renée tried to hold in a smile. "That's not what I meant. I was thinking how…unreal it is. I mean, it's a giant, shining bird for crying out loud. I still can't get over it."

"Yeah… I'm just glad there's better light in the village now. Those torches only do so much."

Renée only nodded her agreement and at the sound of creaking floorboards turned her eyes to the balcony. Mekial, too, heard the sound and looked at the balcony stairs just as a familiar being descended them.

"Dijonay." Renée's eyebrows went up. "How long have you been here?"

"Only a little while," the girl replied, smiling weakly. "I…could not handle the sights outside, so I came here to rest for a bit." She came to the bottom of the steps and approached them. "When did you two arrive?"

"Probably a little after you did," Mekial piped up.

"For the same reason," Renée finished. "Well, I came to make sure Mekial was okay. He didn't seem to be doing too well, either."

Mekial pulled a face. "Don't talk about me when I'm right here…"

"Okay, _you _didn't seem to be doing too well, either," Renée corrected, receiving a displeased frown from him. She brushed it off and sent her next words to Dijonay. "Were you planning to go back out?"

"No." She shook her head. "I was just about to go to the kitchen to get a drink of water."

"Oh. Well, it's open." Renée gestured to the doorway that led to the room with a lighthearted air. "And I'll take an order of eggs, scrambled, please."

"And bring me some noodle soup!" Mekial threw in.

Dijonay only looked them over incredulously, her eyes moving from Renée's beaming smile to Mekial's over-exaggerated one that bordered on an animated grimace. She laughed and at the same time Renée looked at Mekial, whose face was steadfast. She face-palmed.

Dijonay headed towards the kitchen and after scouring the cabinets for a glass, filled it with the water from a basin that was refilled as often as morning seemed to arrive. With it in hand she returned to Renée and Mekial and sat in a chair between them.

"By the way," Renée asked as she sat down, "where's Midna?"

"She is upstairs, resting," Dijonay replied. "Her strength has been exhausted by the Grell. Her guards say that she needs a little time to recover."

Renée and Mekial exchanged looks. "Her _guards_ said that?" Renée asked and Dijonay nodded.

"It surprised all of us," she informed them. "I had no idea that they could speak our language."

"Or speak at all," Mekial put in, cupping his cheek in a hand as he leaned against the table.

Dijonay nodded faintly. "Renado is also upstairs," she added after a moment. "He and the children from Link's village are seeing to one of Link's friends."

"Who?" Renée inquired interestedly.

"I am not sure," Dijonay faced her, "but during the attack she had been leading the children to the Gorons in order to find refuge. But on the way they were attacked; she seemed to have suffered the worst of it."

Both Mekial and Renée took on worried expressions. "Is she going to be all right?" the latter asked.

"Yes: apparently, water from the spring will heal her. Renado assures that she will be back to normal soon."

"That's good." Renée turned to stare off at nothing whilst idly taking a pose similar to Mekial's. "Has Link seen her yet?"

"Yes, when we returned." Dijonay's face saddened at the memory of the panic that had been displayed upon his face. "He was very concerned. I believe…that she is a very important person to him."

Renée's eyes slid over to the girl at the quiet drop in her tone and there she found that her somber expression had darkened with another layer of sorrow. Carefully Renée regarded her for another second before she decided to voice her thoughts, "Does that bother you?"

"Eh?" Dijonay suddenly sat up, meeting Renée's intuitive stare with a wide-eyed one of her own. Her cheeks flushed slightly. "N-no, not at all. It is just…" The pink tone in her face deepened and shrinking a little in her seat, she averted her eyes. "N-never mind. It is nothing."

Renée's countenance didn't change but she looked to Mekial once more, though he did not look as if he could decipher why Dijonay had suddenly become so embarrassed.

More footsteps sounded on the balcony and soon Katrina appeared, heading down the stairs while tucking her bow back into her quiver. Feeling eyes on her back she looked at the trio sitting in the dining room. "Oh. So is everyone taking a break at the inn?"

"Somewhat," Renée returned as Dijonay took a sip of her glass. "Link and Brent had their own things to take care of."

At that exact moment the doorknob of the inn's front door suddenly clicked and as one the group looked at it. A split second later the knob twisted and Brent and Link walked in, neither of them looking to be in cheery moods.

"Jeez, guys, remember we're on your side!" Renée exclaimed half-jokingly.

"Seriously!" Mekial looked between them. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were walking in to kill us."

"What is the matter?" Dijonay asked, lowering her cup at their disheartening faces.

"Besides my interrogation with Alexandria Ruheart being a success, depending on how you look at it," Brent began, crossing the room to stand near them, "I learned a few things from her that I want to tell you guys."

"What'd she say?" Katrina asked, walking away from the banister to get closer.

"Do you remember when Morbex told us he accidentally tweaked Kelvis' personality, making him side with Malbex?" Brent met each of their stares.

"Yeah," Renée spoke for all of them.

"I think Ruheart might be the same."

"How?" Link frowned.

"Like anyone else who's interrogated, she didn't want to speak at first," Brent started. "So to get her to speak up, I decided to knock her on the head – not enough to cause any significant damage, but hard enough to get my point across. After that," his face darkened, "she changed into a completely different person."

"Define…different," Renée narrowed her eyes in a way to imply that his choice of words seemed a bit vague to her.

"First off, she doesn't remember anything that happened – she can't even remember having impersonated the princess back in autumn."

"Sheesh, how hard did you hit her?" Mekial burst.

"Not hard enough to cause any kind of trauma, I told you. Her condition now is similar to Link and the princess's back when their Triforce pieces had been extracted."

"So how does she remind you of Kelvis?" Katrina questioned.

"To begin with she seemed a bit delirious," Brent looked at her. "She kept begging for her 'master' and asking for where he was."

"Did she say who her master is?"

Brent didn't answer right away, as if he still couldn't believe what he had been told. "…Malbex."

"What?"

"Like evil emperor Malbex?" Mekial pressed.

"It's the only one we know of," Brent looked at him. "She said he saved her years ago, and that she had to bring him back."

"Back from where?" Link continued.

"When I asked her that, it didn't sound like Malbex had really gone anywhere," Brent answered. "But…she said the Malbex she had once known had disappeared, or rather "changed", because of Tentra. She said that she caught Tentra looking at Malbex with these "eyes"…" He paused, knitting his brow. "She said that they were darker than normal. After that, Malbex started to talk about the 'Outside' more – I'm sure you all remember what that is."

"Yeah; everything outside of Eldonis," Mekial answered. "What else did she say?"

"She tried to ask Malbex about his sudden fetish," Brent replied. "But she ran into Tentra along the way to see him. That's where the gap in her memory starts. The only thing she can remember is that before Tentra caught her, she had run into Morbex who was reading up on some spell called 'Aliore'. She said Morbex told her it was an eye-contact spell, but she can't remember what it does."

"It might be unrelated," Katrina guessed.

"That's what I was thinking."

"What Ruheart said," Link cut in, drawing their eyes towards him. "Tentra's spell "changed" Malbex somehow. Do you think that's connected to what Eldin explained?"

"What did he say?" Dijonay asked.

"Oh, you weren't there." Brent faced her. "He said the Fenri have the ability to alter people's minds – even how they remember things."

"If that's true then that means whatever spell Tentra used on Ruheart might be what resulted in her taking part in everything that she did," Link assumed, "from her impersonation of the princess to now. Maybe getting hit on the head is what snapped her out of it."

"…The soldiers that were guarding the village had the same problem when I interrogated them," Brent recalled after a short pause. "Right before the Soldier's Rebellion, they also met Tentra."

"Did Tentra somehow entice them to launch that rebellion?" Dijonay questioned.

"They don't remember how he did it," Brent confirmed. "And Ruheart can't remember how he changed her, either."

"So, if what that Alexandria said is true, that would make Malbex just like them, wouldn't it?" Mekial piped up, looking between all of them. "But, that –"

"Could not be true," Dijonay interrupted sharply but then she met Brent's eyes, as though in search of reassurance. "Could it?"

"…I think it's a possibility," Brent admitted carefully.

Dijonay said nothing, only lowered her eyes with her lips pursed.

"Then they could all be under the same spell?" Renée looked away in secluded thought. "…Does that mean…Morbex could be the same?"

"How?" Mekial asked.

"In the Mirror Chamber Morbex changed almost on the spot," Renée told him. "If there's a chance that all of those soldiers, Ruheart and Malbex are like Kelvis, then maybe Morbex is, too."

"We can't confirm that," Katrina stated rigidly.

"I think we can," Renée countered with a scowl. "You think that Morbex joined Malbex just because they're brothers, right? But based on what Ruheart said, Malbex is different now – Morbex even said he noticed the same thing back when we first met him. So wouldn't that mean that now, Morbex is just changed in the same way as Malbex?"

"Possibly," Mekial murmured, turning his eyes to Katrina. Beneath her sullen eyes there was a rebellious fire burning, but she couldn't find the words or evidence to disprove Renée's theory.

She didn't want to accept it; that like with Link, she had once again sent her hatred to the wrong person.

"I think so, too." Renée looked at Mekial. "In the Mirror Chamber there was a man watching us. Right as Morbex was getting up after Malbex attacked him, he saw that man at the same time I did and pushed me out of the way. Like me, I think Morbex saw that man's eyes darkening."

"That was right before he acted differently?" Link asked.

Renée nodded.

"The guy you saw…" Mekial's voice drew her focus to him. "Was it the same guy that came out after Malbex and Kelvis did?"

Again, Renée nodded.

"That guy was weird." Mekial sat up a little. "So…was he Tentra?"

"Maybe. I don't know who else it could be."

"So then, does this mean that Malbex isn't as crazy as we all thought?"

"…I don't think it changes anything," Katrina growled quietly, her hands curling into tight fists. She raised her chin and her eyes, once hidden beneath the shadows of her bangs, burned with a frightening resolve. "Whether he's funny in the head because he wants to be or not, he has to be taken care of. It's not like he'll just roll over for us."

"Maybe." Renée looked between them. "But…what if getting rid of Tentra is all we really need to do? Don't spells work like that Mekial: if you cast a spell on someone and you pass away, any spell you casted on someone else is broken?"

"Well, typically," Mekial squinted down at the table. "But, sometimes it depends on how often the spell was used on that particular person, or even what it was." He lifted his eyes. "Sometimes if you use a spell on someone repeatedly, it takes a lot to break it. But, that's with our magic – as far as Fenri magic goes, well…it's a lot more advanced than ours. I don't know for sure how to break their spells. But, apparently brute strength does." He gestured to Brent.

"Then we just go around clocking all of them on the head?"

"If it works."

"Where exactly is Malbex right now, anyway?" Renée looked at Brent. "Didn't you ask the soldiers that?"

"The soldiers said his palace is in Albaan," he answered.

"Albaan? _That's_ the center of his empire?"

"But, the ports of Albaan are part of the Arkanian Empire's trading route," Dijonay piped up. "Surely, Malbex would not mean to use that against our country?"

"Well, unlike most people on this side of the world, Malbex knows there are lands across the ocean," Brent said. "I wouldn't put a plan like that past him. Especially if he plans on expanding."

"Then…what do we do?" Dijonay's concern was visibly mounting. "We cannot let this problem spread to our home. If Malbex manages to conquer it, that will grant him over half of that continent –!"

A shrill scream cut her off.

Jumping with alarm, Dijonay's eyes shot to the window along with everyone else. Her worry now replaced by panic Dijonay parted her lips to speak again, but before she could emit a single sound the building was rocked by a violent tremor, making the window shutters tremble and the ceiling discharge thin streams of dirt and old wood.

"Another ambush?" Rising to his feet Mekial chanced to speak a moment after the small earthquake ended.

Right as that last word escaped him a louder shriek erupted, detonating at a high scream that deepened to a deranged cry. More dirt tumbled from the ceiling and when the bellow faded, the group could only hear the stifled shouts of people outside.

With a hasty exchange of glances the party readied their weapons and made for the door. Link grabbed the doorknob first, only to pull away when it was yanked open by someone on the other side.

"You're here!" the Goron exclaimed, his entire frame blocking the doorway. "Please, come quickly – there's a dragon outside!"


	18. Chapter 18

**Brought the story up to speed :D**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

His steps were quiet, soft, yet they still managed to resound throughout the cavernous hall. Every few feet a glittering chandelier hung from the high ceiling, breaking through the darkness that seeped in through the tall glass windows and causing his shadow to stretch along the sleek, tiled floor.

His cloak swept across the ground behind him, billowing with each step that he took and his royal robes, silky and comfortable to the touch, adorned him in such a way where, despite his foreign background, he almost looked like he belonged to the great castle.

Like Palace Eldonis, the Palace of Albaan was large, spacious and elegantly decorated, with lush carpets and careful, meticulous paintings spanning the ceilings of many of the main halls. In some of the corridors the delicate images were interrupted by a sunroof which, had the sun been visible, would have made the place seem even more majestic and along each corridor hand carved pillars stood, their creamy faces complimenting the sparkles of golden light that fell from the chandeliers and shimmered along the walls.

Although he was not as large as the previous Albaanian kings that he knew to have strolled through these same hallways, he knew that in appearance he stood higher, with his lustrous, silver hair and young, princely features. Every time he saw himself in the mirror he knew in the back of his mind that his father would have never believed he could make it to such a place and yet here he was, accepted by various peoples and his influence still growing across the lands.

Yet for some reason, he didn't feel satisfied.

He often wondered why. For years he had worked for this, to prove to his father that he was just as capable of ruling a country as his brother was. And now here he was, striding through the great Albaanian palace, flaunting his abilities as a ruler… And yet it _still_ was not enough.

Perhaps it was because his father was not there to see it.

Malbex stopped walking and turned his head to the side, staring out of the dark windows with a dull, red-eyed stare.

Or perhaps it was because nothing had turned out exactly as he had planned it to.

Glaring at his reflection, with his gold crown and a replica of the Albaanian crimson gemstone of Ptolemn dangling by the side of his face like a tassel, he recalled the day that he had taken the Triforce.

The day that his wish had finally been granted.

And yet over time the world had grown increasingly darker, in spite of the glowing golden treasure that hovered in his throne room.

He still didn't know why the world was the way it was now. But it made him angry.

How was he to prove he was a good ruler when all of his land was shrouded in darkness?

And _why _was it shrouded in darkness?

Had his wish only been half-granted?

He ripped his eyes away from his reflection and continued down the glittering corridor, forcing his concerns out of his mind so that, to relieve himself, he could focus more on thoughts of his accomplishments, first reminiscing on how he had begun the growth of his empire.

Albaan had been the first he had taken control of and according to the people, had been "saved" by him not too long after the events in the Mirror Chamber, for its government, like that of other neighboring countries, had begun to fall apart. As such the remaining politicians had been desperate for aid and when Malbex had offered it he had quickly risen to their ranks and then above them, astounding them with his knowledge and teaching them the abilities that the Fenri had kept to themselves for too long.

Word soon got out of Albaan's sudden resurrection and after setting up colonies in each interested country to further spread his influence, he soon had each of them under his rule – even Hyrule.

Remembering that made a smirk flit across his face. True the world was dark but at the very least he had finally reached his goal. He could worry about other finite complications later.

Footsteps sounded from behind him.

Malbex slowed his pace as the feet drew nearer and quickly he recognized who they belonged to. After all, there was only one person that, somehow, always knew how to find him.

Stopping completely Malbex pivoted, his face stoic, and with his narrow red eyes pinpointed the being that was heading in his direction.

"There you are!" Upon noticing his turned face Morbex picked up his pace, his royal robes flapping behind him. His attire was a bit simpler than his brother's to differentiate their positions – Malbex the emperor and Morbex now his spokesman – and the silver headband that had once marked his nobility in Eldonis had been completely removed.

Morbex had not even asked why Malbex had wanted him to take it off and for some reason that bothered Malbex. His brother was now, more or less, a brainless servant that couldn't think for himself.

Or rather, he didn't want to.

"I've been looking for you all over," Morbex said, pulling up to a stop in front of his sibling.

Malbex's impassive expression hid the distaste he had for Morbex's innocent smile. "For what?"

Much to his surprise, Morbex's smile dimmed. "Well, I just got back from the city to see how things were going, since at the last council meeting we were told that the people have gotten uneasy again. It's because of how dark the skies are – they're starting to question your rule." Morbex's face softened with sorrow and Malbex fought the urge to strike him. "Some of our soldiers have also heard rumors of a liberation group forming to try and overthrow you."

"Overthrow me?" Malbex echoed monotonously. "What makes them think they could do that?"

"Well, I certainly don't think they could," Morbex offered with another kind smile that made Malbex want to punch him. "But it's just that…the fact that there are rumors like that circulating is causing other people to get restless. I'm worried that if something isn't done soon, it might spread."

Malbex stared at Morbex for a moment, studying his genuinely concerned visage before closing his eyes and releasing a quiet sigh. "…Fine. But I can't do anything about rumors. The only way I can handle this supposed "rebellion" is if I were to receive proof of their existence."

"Well, I know, but…"

Sensing that there was something lingering on the tip of the young prince's tongue Malbex looked at Morbex once more. He appeared rather hesitant now and had his eyes cast to the side in order to avoid his brother's harsh stare.

Malbex decided to press him, "You know but what?"

"Well… I thought that, maybe, if we could find a way to bring the sun back things would be okay again," Morbex blurted out, flashing his eyes between Malbex and one of the pillars lining the corridor. "Then no one could say anything."

If Malbex's stone expression could get any more unreadable it did as he stared at the prince, running the suggestion through his mind.

_Bring the sun back._

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Malbex inquired quietly, his bright red eyes unblinking.

"I'm not sure." Morbex rubbed the back of his neck. "But, you still have the Triforce so maybe you could use that –?" He raised his eyes to Malbex and quickly clamped his mouth shut.

If only for a brief instant an unmistakable fury had crossed the emperor's face, bleeding through his red eyes to stab millions of holes into his relative. Morbex's heart raced and he froze, having never remembered his brother to have looked at him in such a way before. Like he hated him.

Did Malbex hate him?

Morbex's eyes fell away from Malbex and moved over to the dark windows. Even without the reflection of him and his sibling to prove it, Morbex knew that Malbex was still staring at him. But then with another soft sigh, the man pulled his eyes away.

"I'm aware that the people are upset over the darkness," he said after a moment, staring up at a great canvas on the wall opposite the windows. Placed in a hand carved frame of mahogany, the image depicted a ship sailing across an ocean. Beams of sunlight stretched up from behind the horizon, casting the vessel in a dreamy glow as the sky took on the pale hues of dawn.

In the five months that he had been in the palace, Malbex had learned that whoever had lived here before had a great interest in sunrises and sunsets: there were paintings of them everywhere and ranged in size from murals to small portraits that were small enough to sit atop a dresser.

It was almost a mockery to him, knowing that the previous ruler had been able to see the sun and adore it while he had not even been able to catch a glimpse of it through the clouds for five months.

His unyielding rage bubbled and boiled – he was the ruler of a growing empire and yet everywhere he went the sun did not shine, as though it did not wish to reveal his successes to anyone.

It was as if the entire world was making a laughingstock of him.

"…They're going to have to endure it," he forced out through gritted teeth, never moving his eyes from the painting.

Morbex started. "But, Malbex, we have to figure out something! The people aren't the only ones who will be upset if the sun doesn't show up again – you and I both know that the sun is what brings life to everything –"

He fell silent when Malbex viewed him through his side vision, his red eyes having taken on a brighter gleam. "Then find a way to bring it back," he ordered quietly. "Being the bright young man that you are, I'm sure you could find a way to restore light, can't you?"

"But Malbex," Morbex began carefully, "you said that you wanted to make an empire. If you could somehow fix everything –"

With those words something flashed in Malbex's memories, making his eyes widen fleetingly:

_"– right the wrongs –"_

Morbex didn't seem to notice his shock, "– then the people would love you more –"

_"– our duty as the princes of Eldonis –"_

"– and your empire would grow –" Again Morbex stopped. Malbex was no longer looking at him.

His eyes were narrowed beneath a bothered frown and his lips were curling back to reveal his clenched teeth. By light of the chandelier dark shadows were now apparent on his pale face and peering through them, Morbex perceived something deep lying behind the anger that, nowadays, seemed to spark in his brother's gaze so often: sadness, it looked like.

Or perhaps something more?

"Malbex…?" He reached out to him but the man quickly pulled away, directing his scowl at him now.

But it wasn't his similarly pale-faced sibling that Malbex saw, no. Rather, it was the imp; the blue-skinned child that had caused so much trouble for him, that had defied him, that had challenged him in the Mirror Chamber so long ago.

It didn't matter what happened to Morbex's mind, or whose side he was on.

He was still that cursed imp.

"Malbex?" Morbex tried again, his concern heightening.

With a gentle release of breath Malbex's muscles loosened and as he raised his head his dark frown melted into an emotionless stare. Then he turned and proceeded down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Morbex took a step forward.

"Consider the issues you brought to me resolved," he said flatly as he departed, his shoes clopping against the smooth floor. "I'll be in my study."

Morbex stared after him as he went, his silver brow furrowed with concern, but he said nothing more.

* * *

"What's wrong? You look like you ate a bug."

The voice drifted to his ears by the time he had reached the western wing of the palace and ceasing his steps, Malbex's eyes shifted to a corner of the passage, just behind a pillar.

"Oh, wait." Tentra walked out of the shadowy hiding place. "You always look like that."

Malbex cut his eyes at him.

"Uh-oh, the prince is having a mood swing!" Tentra teased. "Or should I say "emperor"?" He leaned forward with a knowing smile. "I bet I know why you're upset: you haven't seen Alexandria in a long, long time. You probably miss her, hmmm?"

Malbex blinked slowly and his expression did not alter. "…You know why I haven't seen her."

"Yes, right." Tentra straightened up with a slight frown of disappointment. "The girl from Terit, born with nothing. I suppose it was kind of you, then, to let her live like a princess. Especially as a princess as adored as that Princess Zelda. No doubt our little Alex is living what young ones call, "the good life", right?" He smiled wryly, though still Malbex did not give a reaction.

"…It was to protect her," he said after a pause on his part, averting his eyes. "She doesn't need to concern herself with my issues anymore. A life of peace in a castle like the one in Hyrule is something that I owe her, I suppose." He looked back at Tentra with those same, lifeless eyes. "For supporting me."

Tentra's eyes flashed with amusement.

"How romantic!" he exclaimed, clasping his hands together with a grin. "So that's why you put the capital on lockdown – for her, hmm?"

"…That was for the peoples' sake," Malbex replied calmly. "Shadows, however reliable they may be, can't control themselves in darkness like this. So long as people stay within their city walls, no harm will come to them."

"Well aren't you just so _considerate_?"

Malbex didn't react.

Tentra's smile vanished. "Someone's sour today, huh?"

"Don't treat me like a child."

"That's a felony I bet." Tentra smiled that same, sarcastic smile that he always wore. "And you seem to be in a rather foul mood. Perhaps I should get going before you decide to behead me…"

"…It's Morbex."

Tentra stopped short at Malbex's sudden words, his face falling.

Malbex's sour face had tightened. "He's an insult."

"Insult?" Tentra repeated, biting back a laugh. "He's on your side now! Courtesy of me." He smiled impishly. "Think of it as an investment into your future empire on my part."

Malbex frowned. "How so?"

"Well, if the little Crown Prince is on your side and agrees with everything you say…" Tentra raised his shoulders. "Heaven forbid you should die, he'll make a nice replacement."

Malbex's eyes narrowed. "That isn't funny."

"I'm not laughing. I'm just trying to make a point."

"It's a bad one. And a poor investment." Malbex looked away. "I've always seen Morbex as competition for my father. Having him here, having him look at me the way he does and having him agree with me like he's some hopelessly indebted servant…" His hand coiled into a fist as his face darkened. "It sickens me."

"Oh my, that doesn't sound good at all!" Tentra cried, though by his tone it was difficult to tell if he really cared. "Your number one rival from childhood will do whatever you say?" He pretended to gasp. "Whatever are we to do?!"

"This isn't a joke, Tentra," Malbex forced threateningly, glaring daggers at him out of the side of his eye.

"You're right." Tentra bowed cordially, one arm across his torso, but the smile was stilled upon his face. "What are your wishes, Your Excellency?"

"I want him gone." Malbex started to walk away.

"Gone?" Tentra's smile completely disappeared and he straightened up to see Malbex before he disappeared into the depths of the palace. "As in…_gone_-gone?"

"What else does it mean, Tentra?" Malbex called as he strolled off, his voice bouncing around the hall.

"But, he…" Tentra stared after him anxiously. "He's your brother – the son of Sol!"

Malbex stopped walking and pivoted to catch Tentra's eyes. There was something strange in his stare: something so unhinged and unnatural that Tentra actually found that he couldn't recognize him. "He's nothing more than an eyesore that I've surpassed. I no longer need his competition or his petty sympathy." He continued down the corridor.

"Gone, Tentra," he repeated.

He left the hall.

* * *

**ANNOUNCEMENT: So, like I said, story's back up to speed and this scene was separated for length's sake.**

**Now there will be another period of inactivity up here but not because of school or writer's block or what have you. It will be here because I've decided I'm going to just write the rest of the story/or just the next few chapters before posting it up here - that way you guys can get it at even intervals and such.**

**DONT GET MAD D;**

**I'm doing it for plot sake and patience sake because I've gotten sick of posting chapters and then spotting something wrong and taking them down so that it can smoothly flow into the next chapter. So I'm going to do that just as extra precaution so I don't have to worry about you guys seeing my mistakes xD;**

**Sooo yeah. Hang tight dudes!**


	19. Chapter 19

**That awkward moment when you realize you've been spelling a characters name wrong.**

**Whoops! Heh, sorry [****_Illia] _****Ilia! ^^**

**Anyways, as of now ****_Rebirth_**** will be updated every 1st and 3rd FRIDAY of the month - starting today! Yey! *throws confetti***

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

Outside, the soldiers were already striving to apprehend the monster that had suddenly landed in the village, shouting out to one another as they dodged its sharp claws. Behind them Eldin's golden light illuminated the creature's ebony, reptilian skin, defining its exact shape: its body took up the entire width of the main road and its barbed tail swung around at its rear, bouncing off of the rock walls that hemmed in the town.

Link burst out of the inn first and stumbled onto the porch, then jumped the railing so that he was below the beast's underbelly. There he sprinted down the path and towards the soldiers, who had by now devised a plan to attack the reptile.

Even as he approached Link could hear his allies calling out the same thing that he was thinking as they threw their arms out in front of the monster: _"Stop!"_

_"Don't hurt it!"_

"It's fine!" Link joined, grabbing Alan's arm before he could hack into the dragon's arm. "Stop!"

"It's a _dragon!"_ He pried free of Link's grip. "How is it fine?!"

"It's not gonna hurt you!" Mekial cried, jumping up and down in front of Regal to stop him, and overhead the argorok lowered its scaly face to direct an evil sneer at the soldiers.

With a loud cry Drake successfully slashed his sword across its cheek, but barely cut deep enough to make any kind of injury. Still, he did receive a throaty snarl fueled by hot breath before he had to duck beneath one of its claws.

At that moment the world was ignited by a blast of golden light, startling all of them, even the dragon. When the illumination dimmed they were left to blink torpidly, frowning at the spots flashing in their vision as they reoriented themselves.

"What the…" Bourke grumbled an audible swear and glared at the argorok, who had recovered speedily and unleashed another angry grunt.

"How do you think it found us?" Renée breathed, stepping back to get a better view of their old mount.

"No idea," Link returned at the same volume. "Maybe it sniffed us out?"

"This whole time?"

As Link made to answer the argorok lifted its snout with a series of quiet sniffing, and then dropped its head to the two conversing in front of it. Once near to them it brought its nose closer to Renée, who backed away cautiously, then it swung its face to Link.

With its snout in front of the Hylian the creature sniffed once. Then with a quiet sound similar to one of human surprise, it lunged at him.

Link staggered back and at the same time the Hyrulean Generals leaped in front of it, brandishing their weapons as they ordered for the dragon to move back. Snarling with indignation it did so, its mouth curling back over multiple rows of sharp teeth, which parted to reveal an orange light building in the back of its throat.

"No!" Mekial shouted and he snapped his fingers, amplifying the noise with a blast of wind that surged into the dragon's ears.

Immediately it reared back and let loose another roar of agitation, swinging its head from side to side to clear its senses of Mekial's ringing snap. Again it dropped its jaw but clamped its mouth shut when Eldin unleashed another flash of light, causing everyone to blink with surprise. Above them the dragon shook its head again.

"We need to get this thing out of here!" Regal yelled, a vein popping up in his neck.

The dragon croaked out an extensive moan, drawing Link's eyes towards it. Without a doubt the creature looked to be rather cramped, with its wings awkwardly tucked against its sides to prevent them from sitting on the rooftops of the houses. From the windows of these buildings villagers were poking their heads out to view their reptilian visitor, caught between terror and sheer nosiness, while towards the back of the village Link could just barely hear Barnes venting about how the beast's tail had ruined his stairs.

"…We can move it to the open space in front of the Death Mountain Trail," Link announced, tilting his head back to view the grumbling monster. "At least there it can't destroy anything."

"Right when we had enough to fix up," Bourke sighed, eyeing the nearby roofs of some of the houses distastefully. Though none of them had caved in like those of the houses closer to the northern side of the community, the sharp nails on the dragon's wings had still managed to cause some damage: shingles had been scraped off of most of them, many of their staircases had been destroyed and clouds of dirt had been slapped onto their faces.

"…All right." Regal shoved his sword back into its scabbard. "Can you handle this thing?"

"Yeah," Link kept his eyes fastened on the dragon. "We just need a way to make it want to go to that space…"

Standing near the ramp that led back into the Elde Inn, Brent tapped his chin in thought. At the arrival of an idea he hastened up the ramp and into the hostel, and emerged a few moments later with a sackcloth bag.

Calling for the dragon's attention, he hopped over the railing and ran out in front of it, swinging the bag back in forth in a taunting manner. Link and the others looked on at him with interest and at the sound of faint huffing from the dragon's nose, returned their eyes to it.

With a quiet gurgle the argorok's face dipped towards the road, its bright yellow eyes locked on the pouch in Brent's hand. Then, it dove.

Brent hastily leaped beneath the beast, letting out a quick yelp of surprise. Quickly he regained his composure and jogged down the main path towards Link's suggested location, waving the bag all the while. "If you want it, come get it!"

The argorok bent its extended neck to watch Brent run away and then liberated a grunt as it righted itself and turned around to go after him, banging its tail into everything and its clawed wings smacking into the mountain faces. Finally it managed to face the opposite direction and with a snort stomped after the Arkanian.

After exchanging looks with one another, Link and the others followed.

Brent slowed his pace as he came to the mound of dirt leading to the winding Death Mountain Trail and turned around as the argorok fit its skull through the archway leading to the same place. Huffing and sniffing it fit through the rest of the opening, parting its mouth with staccato grunts as it came close to the bag and the treats that it held within.

"Atta boy!" Brent tossed the sack into the air and as it went up its loose drawstring came completely undone, allowing the raw meats from the inn kitchen to rain out.

Moving with lightning speed the argorok clamped its teeth around one of the uncooked snacks and after quickly swallowing, moved to devour the rest.

"It's just like an overgrown pet," Brent said as the rest of his allies joined him, their way lit by one of Mekial's balls of light.

"What was in the bag?" he asked, trying to peek around the argorok's enormous head as it munched on its little feast.

"Fresh meat," Brent answered proudly.

"Oh, right! I forgot he liked that."

"Good thinking," Renée praised as the beast completed the last of its food. Its throat bobbing, it turned to the party of humans and grunted again then just as before, attempted to get closer to Link.

Shouting in surprise all of them stepped out of the way; but even when Link did the same the argorok's great forehead still managed to bump into his face, and in their brief instant of contact the dark world fell from Link's view to be replaced by the sight of a towering, stately palace rising right in front of him.

Link gasped, startled, and fell back on his seat. Instantly the image shattered and he was left in a numbed state of limbo, teetering between reality and his brief instance of disconnection as the others tried to calm the argorok down. But no matter what they did the beast still attempted to push past them and into Link.

Forcing himself to recover the Hyrulean stood up then stopped to hold and shake his head when the earth spun. After finally managing to repair his disoriented mind he lifted his eyes to everyone else.

"Wait…" he called quietly, fending off the last of the haze in his thoughts, and at his voice the group granted him their attention. "It's…all right."

His eyes switched to the dragon and the others stepped out of his path, observing the scene with rising suspicion. As they spread apart Link cautiously approached the beast, one hand spread and extended and his breath nearly silent, and when he could rub his fingertips against its scaly nose he stopped.

The argorok grumbled in the depths of its chest and its bright, golden eyes seemed to bore into the heart of his being. Then it bowed its head and its two-lidded gaze fell shut.

Link advanced one last step and carefully rested his forehead against that of the dragon's. There he, too, allowed his eyes to close and unleashed his inner tension with a quiet breath.

Instantly darkness permeated his senses, stealing away the sharp bite of the frigid air and the low moan of the wind. Even the security of land vanished from beneath his feet and the feeling of watchful eyes was sucked away, leaving him to float in an empty pit of nothingness. Silence reigned and the lightlessness of his surroundings grew to be overpowering, clogging every airway in his body and forcing pressure on his chest.

His mind reeling in panic he chanced a breath and found, surprisingly, that his lungs opened up. Relieved by this he exhaled gently, making room to take in another deep breath of air. Again his lungs opened and began to work of their own volition, exhaling and inhaling without his conscious efforts.

By the time his third intake left him the darkness retreated like shadows in the presence of light.

His eyes blinked open slowly, groggily, allowing him to peer at a curtain of black clouds layered high over his head. The longer he gazed up at them the more he became aware of the returning of the cold winds, but this time they were blowing past him, as if he was moving against them.

Strangely undeterred by this he flipped himself over and with an abrupt jolt of shock found that he was floating in midair, high above the same exact building he had glimpsed before. The bird's-eye view that he now had was so detailed he could see the texture of the granite statues standing on either side of the structure's tall gates, as well as the forms of the silver sentinels stationed before them.

A long, stone bridge sloped down before those knights, attaching to the thick, fortress-like walls that enclosed the entire conical building, and on either side of it two gothic towers rose, their slender forms connected to the central tower by flying buttresses. In the back of the building a similar set-up was present.

Link's attention returned to the grandiose building in the middle of the field, with its conical shape and spires climbing to graze against the blackened skies. To ward off the darkness of the dreary heavens, lights shone through each of its windows, gleaming from palace chandeliers and on certain levels stone balconies with leafy-capitol columns jutted out; Link noticed that the one near the top seemed to be the largest.

Yet for some reason, he couldn't examine that particular terrace for very long. Only just as he spotted it a strange sensation in his back grabbed his attention, moving up and down like an extension of muscle and bone and causing great gusts to blow into his sensitive ears.

With one great beating of the unfamiliar arms he dove towards the building and circled to the western side. There, in spite of all the wind now pushing into him, a noticeable smell made it to his nose. He paused to draw it in and immediately recognized it as the same scent he had been following for weeks on end.

Link nearly stopped to question that thought, but his concentration was ultimately broken by a foreign excitement. With a great whiff he tossed his head to the side and soon pinpointed where the smell was wafting from: not too far away was one of the balconies and standing on it with his head resting against his arms was none other than Morbex.

Link didn't recognize him with his short, silver hair and pale skin but something inside of him did: the person he was seeing was Morbex.

An odd glee overcame him and he moved closer, ignorant of the melancholy so seeable on the prince's face. It had taken such a long time to find him, and now he was really here…!

Morbex jumped suddenly, his sorrow breaking into astonishment as the light of the hall shone upon the fearsome dragon. Instinctively he took a step of retreat and before Link could react something singed his tail. Surprised, he pulled the barbed extension of himself closer and turned his gleaming, golden irises to the wide stretch of palace grounds below.

There soldiers could be spotted, all of them encased in silver armor and as soon as they saw the argorok looking at them, one of them held up his hand. In his palm a bright orange light expanded and brightened and then with the conjuring of lashing flames it blasted out of his hand and up at the beast overhead.

Link easily pulled his head out of range and releasing an angry, dismissive bellow he spun back around to reface the balcony.

But it was empty.

His heart dropped and he flew closer, releasing one loud cry after another in the hopes that Morbex would hear. But there was no answer.

At that moment his tail was hit by another rush of flames and snapping crossly he rounded on the soldiers, dropping his jaw as flames gathered in the back of his throat. The soldiers didn't even have a chance to escape.

With his fire burning them alive, Link cast one last look at the abandoned balcony. Then he flapped his wings powerfully enough to shoot off into the sky, where wind swept into his eyes as he neared the hopeless overcast. Soon it closed over him, and darkness welcomed him into its arms.

Feeling flashed through his natural body and Link's eyes fluttered open. Without meeting any of his comrades' stares he inched back to look the argorok in the eye and at a sign of movement off to the side, he looked around its head. There he saw that the dragon had waved its tail a little and by the bright light of Mekial's orb Link could just barely make out the raw flesh peeking through missing scales.

"Is that why you were looking for us?" He returned his eyes to the dragon's face. "To help you get Morbex?"

Renée frowned as the argorok hummed softly. "What?"

"Back when we were still in the Hidden Village, I found Morbex with the argorok," Link informed them. "He said that after you've tamed one, they allow you to look into their minds and see their memories."

"Is that what you were just doing?"

He nodded.

"What did you see?" Dijonay asked.

"I…I think it was the Palace of Albaan," he answered ruminatively.

"How do you know that?" Katrina inquired skeptically.

"I don't." Link scratched the back of his head. "It was just this…feeling that I got. I can't really explain it."

Katrina folded her arms, unconvinced, while Brent sent the argorok an impressed look. "So it's been to the palace?" He returned his eyes to Link. "What'd it show you?"

"Morbex." Link looked back at the dragon when it nudged him with its face in a friendly manner. "I know I haven't seen him in any other form beside his imp one, but I… Somehow, I just knew it was him."

"How is he?" Dijonay burst, her hands clasped over her heart.

"Well, he looked…sad."

Dijonay's hopeful face faded and she lowered her hands as she viewed the Hylian.

"So you think this thing wants to save Morbex or something?" Brent asked.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure…" Link looked at him. "But, it's just this feeling I got while he showed me."

"'He'?"

Link paused, trying to remember if the word "he" had actually come out of his mouth. "…Yeah. The dragon."

"Huh." Brent looked at the giant beast. "It's convenient he showed up, then. Maybe we can change our mode of transportation."

Katrina stiffened. "You mean fly on this thing instead of taking the Grell?"

"Well, yeah; it'd save Midna the pressure of having to transport us all over the place. And while we're busy sneaking into the palace, this dragon can act as a decoy so that we'll have free access."

"It does sound like a good plan," Mekial admitted.

Katrina hung her head with a groan. "Just when I was getting used to traveling by portal…"

"So, since we have the dragon, d'you think we should just leave now?" Renée asked, ignoring Katrina's dimming mood.

"We could…" Brent started, but then he shook his head. "But, we don't really have any proper way of communicating with it. When we had Morbex here, he was always talking to it: telling it when to land, when to fly… I feel like if we just took off now we'd have some trouble."

"So, how do we communicate with it?"

"Maybe we can ask Midna when she wakes up," Link suggested. "The Fenri and Twili are related. Maybe their languages are, too?"

Brent looked thoughtful. "Maybe…"

"We should try it," Katrina blurted. "The last thing I want is to have to go through another episode of dropping out of the sky."

"It would be safer," Mekial conceded.

"Then we'll go with it." Link gave the argorok a friendly pat on the snout. "In the meantime, we'll have to keep him here so he doesn't cause uproar in the village."

Mekial looked up at him. "Are we gonna go hunting again?"

Link shrugged. "I don't know. But if we do, you can't come."

"What? Why not?!"

"Because last time you went you dreamt about a gory feast afterward. I don't want to encourage more trauma."

"I wasn't _traumatized! _Just because I'm twelve doesn't mean I get traumatized easily!_"_

"Your dragon-feast dream begs to differ," Katrina muttered.

"Okay, that's enough." Renée placed a calming hand on Mekial's head just as he got ready to snap at Katrina. "We might not have to hunt for it, y'know."

"But what if we do?! I'll have to miss out on an adventure!" He pouted. "You guys are always treating me like a kid!"

"But, Mekial."

Mekial looked at Link.

"You _are_ a kid."

"But I'm the prime minister's bodyguard!" he reminded him, jabbing a finger at Dijonay. "I can handle hunting! …All I have to do is not listen when it starts eating," he added quietly.

"See?" Link gestured to him. "Trauma."

Mekial narrowed his eyes.

"All right, all right," Link sighed, giving into his scowl that bore strong resemblance to Talo. "But don't get excited. Like your sister said: we might not even have to hunt."

Mekial grinned. "But in the event that we do, I'll make sure you don't feed it a dead bulbin."

Link didn't look particularly impressed by that; Renée and Brent stifled a laugh.

"Just be glad the dragon's not hungry now," Renée said.

Brent snickered as Link didn't respond. "He can only hope."

It took a moment for Mekial to get what Brent meant but when he did he rounded on him. "Hey!"

"Anyway, we might as well let the soldiers know what's up so they don't get riled up any more than they already are," Renée suggested.

"I'll do it," Link volunteered. "I need to go and talk to the princess anyway, just to see if that place I saw really was the palace."

Feeling no objections towards Link's offer the group began to file out of the open area and back into the village. As they started away the argorok made to follow them.

Hearing its loud steps they all turned around. "You have to stay here," Link said as it hit him with its large head, nearly knocking him over. He pushed its face back and pointed at the ground. "Stay."

The argorok grunted. But when they began their walk back to the village, it tried to trail after them again.

_"Stay," _Link ordered again and once more the argorok stopped.

Then it tried to follow a third time.

"He said stay!" Mekial snapped his fingers and forced the sound into the argorok's little ears with a sharp burst of wind, causing it to rear back with a startled groan. Then with a quiet grumble, it curled up in front of the wall that led to the trail and watched them depart with a longing, half-lidded gaze.

* * *

By the time lunch was presumed to have arrived, the inn's dining room was filled with the villagers of Ordon and a few people from Kakariko. After having given up his seat for one of the older inhabitants Brent had gone over to lean against the wall near one of the windows, lost in a one-worded thought that had recently begun to wander around his mind:

_Aliore._

Like Katrina he still believed there was a possibility that that word and the spell Tentra had used on several people were unrelated. But, he still found himself pondering it. Perhaps it was his simple curiosity for learning foreign vernacular.

He had seen a similar word before, back when he had first begun studying the ancient Hylian language in Taranis. But, now that he thought about it, it was a completely different word: "lioren", which, if his memory served, meant "changing".

Then there was its root word, "liore". But neither of those definitions was particularly helpful. Ruheart had already said that Tentra had "changed" Malbex somehow – all he wanted to know was how. Did Tentra really plant an idea in Malbex's head? Or was he just the same as Kelvis, as Brent had earlier perceived?

He sighed darkly. Curiosity aside there really wasn't any reason to ponder the idea any further. Still he wondered if barging into the palace and simply killing Malbex was really the right way to go.

He could remember when he had spoken to Renée when they had first arrived in the Twilight Realm. Then, they had both agreed that Morbex had probably wanted to talk to Malbex at some point and talk him out of his madness. Now, there was a possibility that both of them could return to their right mind.

Knowing that, would it still be right to take Malbex's life?

Closing his eyes, Brent tried to view it the way Katrina did, to see Malbex for nothing more than the selfish murderer that he had made himself out to be. But, in light of their new information, he found such a thing difficult to accept.

Brent didn't look up when the door of the Elde Inn opened and someone else walked inside. But when something began to burn against the inside of his pocket, he jolted with a quiet shout and yanked out what was stinging him. Almost as soon as he had the object in his palm, it cooled down.

"Are you all right?"

Brent looked up from the fragmented red gemstone in his hand to see Link standing a few feet away, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah." Brent straightened up. "Just this stupid rock burning me."

Link examined the little stone. "Isn't that the thing Renée used to…?"

"Same one." Brent returned his eyes to the item. "I meant to look at it earlier, but I completely forgot about it."

"I thought I had that." Link frowned off to the side. "When did you get it?"

"Oh." Brent laughed. "Back in the Twilight Realm, when you were still kinda loopy. You probably didn't notice since you have enough stuff to build a house in that bag, anyway. Which reminds me, where exactly did you get that?"

"The bag? It came with the tunic and hood."

"Package deal?"

"Package deal."

"Bummer…" Brent couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed. "Would've liked to have one of those for myself. Certainly gives new meaning to the term "packing lightly"."

"Yeah. By the way, the soldiers were all for the idea of taking that argorok to the palace. They can't wait to get it out of here."

Brent's interest spiked. "So it was the palace?"

"Yeah; Princess Zelda says it sounds like it matches what the Palace of Albaan looks like. And while we're gone, they were thinking of asking Midna to transport them, Ruheart and her soldiers back to the capital."

"Sounds like that takes care of any loose ends."

Link nodded. "All that's left is to figure out how to actually get into the palace."

"Did the princess have any suggestions by any chance?"

Link shook his head.

"Guess this means we have to fly right in on the dragon's back…" Brent sighed and closed the stone in his fist. "I feel like we've been running low on information a lot lately."

"It seems it's been that way since Morbex left," Link pointed out. "But, somehow we've managed to survive this far."

"I guess…" Brent lingered in thought for a second, sorting through his frustration in an effort to come up with a plausible solution. "…Renado's the village shaman, right?"

Link nodded.

"I wonder if he could do something, then…" Brent pushed off the window.

"I saw him outside a second ago." Link nodded his head to the door.

"Thanks. Oh – think you can put this in your crazy bag of wonders? It won't burn in there, will it?"

"Actually," Link instantly remembered the last time he had been aware of it in his bag, "it can."

"Oh." Brent looked down at the pulsating stone. "…Should've thrown it into Snowpeak when we had the chance."

"Well, we were kind of preoccupied."

"True." Brent's serious countenance lifted.

"I'll take it anyway." Link offered his hand. "Even though it can still burn, it at least can't make a hole in anything in my bag."

"If you say so." Brent dropped the stone into his hand and Link stepped aside when he headed out in search of the village shaman.

After tucking the fragmented object back into his belt pouch Link ascended the staircase and walked past a few of the doors before stopping in front of one and gently pushing it open.

There was no one inside, he noticed at first. But right when he turned to leave he spotted someone laying on the bed with their eyes closed in slumber.

Opening the door a bit more Link stepped fully inside and pushed the door shut, though not fully. Then, he approached the side of the bed and eased himself into the chair beside it.

Ilia didn't stir when he sat down, but she appeared to be just as healthy as Rusl had perceived she would be. The red marks around her neck were not as obvious as before and color had returned to her cheeks, making it seem as if she had just decided to turn in early for the night. Her present, favorable condition was probably due to the nearly empty bottle of Fairy water that was sitting on the nightstand beside her, Link figured and he released a quiet sigh of relief.

When Ilia finally began to awaken Link started out of a sleep of his own. Groggily he stared into his lap as he registered the sound of the bed's soft creaking then lifting his chin, he rubbed his face and dropped his hand in time to see Ilia's eyes flutter open.

"Link…?" She squinted up at him in the dim lighting of the room before attempting to sit up.

Seeing that she needed help, Link moved to aid her in propping up her pillows so that she could have something to rest against. As he leaned back he caught her send him a small, grateful smile.

"How long have you been here?" she asked, drawing the quilt up to keep herself warm.

"Good question…" Link rubbed his eyes. "I don't even remember falling asleep. I guess I'm just…more tired than I thought…" He ended with a yawn.

"You always seem tired," Ilia chuckled but then she stopped. "But, when someone is involved with what you're doing, who wouldn't be?"

Spying her discomfort Link straightened up in his seat and elected to keep the conversation going. "How are you feeling?" he tried. "Rusl told me what happened."

"What happened…?" Ilia stared distantly at the quilt, reaching into the back of her mind to find out what Link was alluding to. "Oh…you mean the invasion."

"Yeah. Rusl said you were attacked while trying to take the kids to the Gorons."

"Attacked…" Absentmindedly, Ilia raised her hand to her neck.

"One of the Shadows got you," Link said carefully when she pulled her fingers away from the indents in her skin with a start. "If the Gorons hadn't showed up when they did, you…" He cut himself off bitterly. "I'm sorry, Ilia. If only I'd been there…"

"You can't be everywhere at once, Link," Ilia said, smiling encouragingly. "You had something else to do, right? Your friend…Renée said that you and the princess had gone to see a Fairy because you both were hurt somehow. So maybe I should be the one asking _you _if _you're _all right." She watched him patiently and so he presumed he was to give her an actual answer.

"I could go for another nap," he said candidly.

Ilia laughed and though Link shared only a small one of his own, he still missed hearing the sound of soft footsteps approaching the door.

There Dijonay stopped, staring at the barrier before her as if she could peer straight through it. Only moments ago she had decided she would go and visit Link's friend who presently resided beyond this plank of wood, hoping that during her short stay the girl would wake up and Dijonay would be able to talk to her, and discover the kind of person she was.

But such a thing seemed foolhardy now – it sounded like Link was already inside.

"It's a good thing the Fairy fountain's so close," she heard him say. "Rusl said it would heal you right up."

"Is that what that is?" Ilia looked at the bottle on the nightstand.

"Yeah." Link followed her eyes. "Want some?"

Ilia uncorked the bottle when he gave it to her and tipped it back to pour some of the sparkling liquid down her throat. It tasted like normal water, but after swallowing she found that it had an addicting, sweet aftertaste.

"It's good," she blurted out.

"I've never had any," Link realized, looking at the bottle. "Kinda weird now that I think about it. I always walked in it."

"Aw, you walked in this?" Ilia covered her mouth.

"Well, the fountain spirits probably purify the water," Link assured her as Ilia looked down at the last remaining drops of the healing remedy.

"Well…it _is_ good," she admitted and out of the corner of her eye she spotted Link eye the drink longingly. "But you can't have any!"

"What? Not even a sip?"

"That's all I have left!"

"Okay, half a sip."

Ilia glanced between him and the last of her healing water. Then quickly, she gulped it down.

"Aw…" Link hung his head disappointedly, making Ilia giggle. "But I guess you need it more than I do."

Ilia smiled and as Link raised his head, he glanced at the door upon hearing the sound of retreating footsteps.

"Link?"

"Hm?" He returned his attention to Ilia, dismissing the noise, and found that her recently happy exterior had faded into the same discomfort he had noticed earlier.

"I…I'm sorry." Ilia peeked up at him bashfully. "You know…for hitting you. I shouldn't have done that."

"…Oh." He sat up.

Ilia pursed her lips. "I…just worry about you, Link," she confessed quietly. "You can just be…really reckless. And so when you disappeared, and we heard about all those monster sightings I just thought…or, I was scared that…that you'd gotten hurt.

"But, I think I should just start trusting you more," she concluded, avoiding his eyes. "You seem to be able to handle yourself well."

The corners of Link's mouth twitched and he let his eyes fall from Ilia's profile to the bed. "I don't…really know how to put this," he started slowly and Ilia turned her face towards him inquisitively. "But…" He pressed his lips together and then raised his eyes to her face again. "Honestly, I think I deserved to get smacked. I guess I just kind of do my own thing…without really considering what it does to you or anyone else. So, it helps, y'know?" He straightened up. "To have someone…or even people around me to remind me that I'm not alone."

Ilia smiled faintly. "Well, I hope you always remember it."

"Yeah." Link returned her smile before looking a bit to the side. "But, I guess what I'm trying to say, too, is… I'm sorry. For making you worry." He looked back at her. "If something comes up again, I'll be sure to let you guys know that I'm all right."

Ilia tipped her chin appreciatively. "Thank you, Link."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

"Dijonay?"

Dijonay looked up at the sound of her name and upon seeing who was calling her promptly removed her glum expression. "Yes?" She stepped closer to the railing of the inn porch as Brent approached.

"Why are you out here? Aren't you cold, y'know…?" He gestured to her skirt.

"No…I am fine." Dijonay forced a smile but with a noticeable shiver, the goosebumps on her skin became more apparent. "I just wanted some fresh air."

"Uh-huh… Well, I just talked to Renado and he said he might have a method for seeing if Ruheart can actually remember anything else. I'm just letting you all know so we can meet up with him in the sanctuary when he's ready. Is Link still inside?"

"Oh. Yes…"

"Um." Brent frowned at the cloud of sorrow that now shaded her face. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yes!" She stiffened as if she had been jerked out of sleep. "I will get him for you."

"I –"

"No, no." Dijonay leaned away from the banister and Brent's puzzled countenance steepened. "I will do it. We will meet you at the sanctuary. That is the place, right?"

"Yeah…" Brent watched her warily.

"All right. Then we will see you there." Hurriedly she dodged inside, leaving him to stare after her confusedly. Then with a shake of his head he started towards the sanctuary.

Dijonay scolded herself severely as she went up the stairs of the crowded Elde Inn, one hand clenched over her chest and the other gripping the staircase railing. Not even halfway up the steps her mind started racing, bombarding her with questions and concerns on how she was to go about relaying Brent's message to Link.

She should have just let Brent do it, she complained upon reaching the top of the stairs. Now here she was, forced to break in on Link and his friend.

Or were they perhaps…more than friends?

Dijonay's cheeks burned and her heart jumped with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

_You are pathetic_, she told herself, stopping so that she could cool off. _Absolutely pathetic._

"…slept through _that_?" she heard Link's friend saying as she came up on the door that they were behind.

"Yep," Link laughed. "And you say _I'm_ the heavy sleeper."

"A dragon…" Ilia looked away and covered her mouth. "A _dragon_! I can't believe I slept through that!"

"There was dirt raining from the ceiling, too," Link went on, pointing up at the ceiling.

Ilia glanced up. "I did feel something tickling my face…"

Link opened his mouth to speak again, but halted upon hearing a quick knock on the door. Though Ilia didn't notice it, he turned his attention to the room entrance.

"Someone there?" he asked, knowing that the rapping sound hadn't been a trick of his imagination. When no answer came he began to conclude that whoever had knocked had decided to leave – but there was no sound of footsteps pacing away.

Ilia watched him quizzically as he got up from his chair and walked over to the door. When he pulled it open, the person on the other side staggered back with a startled squeal.

"Oh. Hi, Dijonay." He smiled pleasantly and the poor girl's heart raced.

"U-um, I-I-I did not mean to interrupt!" she stammered, clutching her chest in an effort to ease her heartbeat and she glanced inside to meet Ilia's curious eyes.

"You're one of Link's friends, right?" she called and Dijonay nodded silently, noting with a hint of jealousy that she was very pretty.

"I…just…"

Link gave her the same look Brent had. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes." Dijonay forced herself to calm down and straightened up. "Brent wanted me to tell you…well, he did not really want me to tell you, I think he was going to come find you himself, but I volunteered to and…well, he said…"

Link's expression became quizzical. "Dijonay?"

"B-Brent said that Renado may have a method of making Alexandria Ruheart recover her lost memories!" Dijonay blurted out. "He wanted all of us to come to the sanctuary, I suppose to keep from having to relay his findings to us later."

"Oh. Okay." He turned back to Ilia. "I have to go, Ilia. I'll come back later."

Ilia nodded her understanding. "Okay."

Smiling his farewell, Link stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed behind him. "The sanctuary, right?"

"Y-yes," Dijonay took a few steps back to grant both of them some personal space. "The others should be there already."

"All right." Link started for the stairs but then stopped short. "…Are you sure you're okay?"

"I am okay," Dijonay pushed out a placid smile.

"Huh. Well, you just seem kind of…" He hunted for the right word. "…Jittery –"

"I am not jittery," Dijonay replied a bit too quickly.

Link scratched the back of his head. "If that's what you think…" Once again he started towards the staircase.

At their base the two were met by the children of Ordon, all of whom had just recently finished lunch and were just about to go and see if Ilia had awoken yet. Upon learning from Link that she had they ran up the steps excitedly and as they disappeared around the balcony railing Link and Dijonay continued their short trip with Dijonay following behind Link at a safe distance, her head low.

Upon reaching the sanctuary she looked up hastily when she noticed that Link had stopped to hold the door open for her and with a soft "thank you" that nearly came out as a squeak, she stepped into the building.

"That's everyone." Renée looked away from the door as soon as Dijonay and Link entered. Her eyes were now fixed upon the shaman, who was standing in the center of the room.

Renado in turn looked everyone over. "While we are with this woman, I will need you all to stay behind me," he informed them seriously. "And do not make any sounds."

"Why not?" Mekial asked.

"…The spirits involved with this ritual are and always have been rather difficult," Renado told him after pausing to figure out how to explain the details to the child. "Anyone who speaks or makes any kind of noise may be negatively affected."

"Negatively?" Katrina repeated. "You mean we could die?"

"It is possible," Renado's dark eyes met hers. "Or you may be injured in some way, either mentally or physically. But follow my instructions, and you will be fine."

When no one voiced any other words of inquiry or hinted at opposition, the robed man turned and around and descended the cargo net that dove into the cellar. The others followed.

Heeding Renado's words early, the group didn't release a single utterance as they went down the stairs leading to Alexandria's prison chamber. Once they were inside they were allowed to walk to the center of the cave before Renado held up a hand, instructing them to halt. Obediently they did so and they watched intently to see what the shaman would do next.

As he strolled forth their eyes soon shifted from him to Alexandria, and in that instant they found that she looked just as helpless as Brent had hinted that she was: her head was hung low over her chest and her entire body looked limp, as if she had lost the strength or even the will to hold herself up anymore.

But when Renado drew nearer she gradually raised her head to see who was coming, though all she could really do was observe his advancing silhouette. Much to everyone's surprise – save Renado's – she seemed to shrink with panic. "Wh-who…"

"It is all right." Renado ceased walking a few feet in front of her and then eased himself to a kneeling position. "I have been told that you have lost your memories."

Alexandria's forehead creased. "Who…told you…?"

"My acquaintance," Renado replied. "The same person that spoke to you earlier."

"The…same person…" Alexandria elevated her head as she repeated this, almost as if she could sense the small crowd of observers behind the shaman.

Renée's eyes narrowed fleetingly as the convict looked up at them. This was strange for her, to look upon the same woman that had nearly killed her in battle and knowing that she was now just like any other civilian that had been caught up in the events of the past several months.

Part of her expected the woman to suddenly summon another army of Shadows to kill them all right then and there and yet the longer she looked at her, the more Renée perceived that such an event was far from likely. It was just as Brent had said: she was looking at a completely different person.

"I am here to help you," Renado continued, pulling Alexandria's attention back to him. "You will need to remain calm. And you will soon remember all that you have lost."

"I didn't really do all of the things he said I did, did I?" the woman spurted out frightfully. "I…I didn't hurt anyone…did I?"

Renado's countenance, though she couldn't see it, was difficult to read. "…We will soon find out."

He looked to the party of people behind him, silently signaling that now was the time for them to take his earlier warning to heart. Then he refaced Alexandria and from his left sleeve pulled out a small, beaded maraca.

Quietly he began to shake it, filling the cave with the resounding sound of small beads bouncing against wood and, keeping in time with the beat, he chanted in a tune that was unfamiliar in both melody and language. Even Brent found he couldn't understand it at all.

Maintaining his rhythm Renado spread his opposite arm out, flinging a cloud of what looked like purple powder on the ground. With a faint hiss the dust slid in front of Alexandria and as Renado's chant progressed a peculiar, herbal aroma floated to her nostrils.

After one sniff she tried to coil away from it, her thoughts tottering painfully, but she quickly discovered that her limbs were completely immobile, as if she had been injected with poison. Terror seizing her she was thus forced to inhale the rest of the smell, permitting it to saturate each of her senses until she could practically taste it. Her mind spun almost drunkenly, making the world tilt and leading her to stumble along the line of reality and a world of waking dreams.

Or were they…memories?

She didn't know. All she did know was that something was reaching inside of her, digging deep into the recesses of her subconsciousness. It wasn't meant to be there she realized, her heart racing; it was a foreign presence, an inhuman one.

With an abrupt scream she fought it, warring for it to leave her in peace. She didn't want it in that part of her mind, or anywhere inside of her at all –

_Get it out…_

She screamed again but as she mentally swung back into reality, she found that no sound was escaping her lips.

_Get it out…!_

Her head gave a violent throb and the world suddenly shattered. She couldn't see anything anymore, hear anything anymore, or feel…

_Get out…_

Then, distantly, she heard the sound of beads shaking together. They danced into her thoughts, vibrating at a stable rhythm and calming her agitated spirit until at last, she could see again.

Her dry lips broke to form the start of a choppy sentence as blurred figures became apparent in her mind, "This place…is…"

The images were hazy at first, nothing more than shapeless masses glowing in what looked like twilight. As the beat of the beads continued they progressively solidified, granting her a view of an outdoor balcony that she instantly recognized.

"The Palace…"

To her left was a stone railing with tall columns to support the roof above. To her right was a window-lined wall, the tall, dark panes glowing in the evening light. And coming down the platform ahead of her, with his face buried in a thick textbook, was Morbex.

"Good evening, Your Highness," she greeted almost automatically, tipping her head to him. Somewhere far-off, she heard her own words echo back at her, as if she were saying them somewhere else at the same time.

"Huh?" The prince looked up, surprised. "Oh. Hello, Miss Alexandria. How are you?"

"I…am all right." Again she heard her voice speak out from another location, resounding around this familiar place. But, for some reason, she found herself pushing the occurrence to the back of her mind, as though it wasn't worthy of concern. "But…have you seen Master Malbex?"

"Rarely." Morbex closed his book and tucked it under his arm.

"Does he seem strange to you?" Alexandria blurted out before she could stop herself and Morbex looked at her quizzically. Her eyebrows creased. "He's been acting…strange lately."

"He's been…less than sociable, yes," Morbex replied distantly, his own silver brow furrowing with worry. "Especially since the ceremony…"

"He doesn't…talk to me anymore…"

As before those words left her mouth both in her memories and her present body, reaching the ears of the village shaman and the small audience behind him. But, now unconscious of their presence her head remained low, permitting her to continue to breathe in the herbal scent of the dust before her. "And…he keeps talking about the Outside…"

A tickling sensation ran down the back of Katrina's ear when she heard the woman's voice crack. Yet she paid it no mind, waiting in tight-lipped silence as the criminal continued to narrate the scenes replaying in her head.

"…Miss Alexandria." Morbex turned his once brooding, downcast eyes to her. "I think you should talk to Malbex."

Her red eyes having glossed over, Alexandria waited for him to elaborate.

"Even as his brother, I'm not able to get very close to him, but…" Resolve flashed in his cherry gaze. "Besides Tentra, you're the only other person that can get Malbex to talk."

"I meant to, but…" Alexandria's eyes shifted to her left, over the balcony railing and towards the horizon. "I'm not sure where to find him."

"He may be in his study," Morbex offered, beginning to pull the book out from under his arm. "I hear he's there a lot now."

Alexandria nodded and then bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"You're welcome." He forced a prompt smile when she straightened up, then opened the book to return to where he left off. When it plopped open in his arms, Alexandria caught sight of one of the headings.

"'Aliore'?" she read aloud without thinking, and when Morbex looked at her again she bowed deeply. "P-please forgive me, Your Highness! I didn't intend to read it!"

"It's all right." Morbex reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. She in turn peeked up at it, and then lifted her eyes to him.

As his hand slipped back to his side she rose to her full height. "If…if it's not too much to ask my lord, what is…'Aliore'?"

Morbex's gaze slid back to the open page of the book. "It's vendarium," he replied. "My instructors suggested I learn some of them. Though, that one, I'm not sure I want to try."

"What…does it do?"

Morbex frowned distraughtly as he stared at the illustration in the corner of the page, depicting the human brain and the area that the spell affected. "It bends the will of the victim," he answered, and by his tone Alexandria could tell that he did not condone the usage of such a power.

But there was nothing either of them could do about it, after all – Fenri magic was Fenri magic, whether the Crown Prince approved of it or not.

"Their will?" Alexandria echoed questioningly, frowning at the same drawing.

"Like they're a puppet," Morbex explained, looking down at her. "But they're aware of what they're doing. It's probably…"

"…one of the darkest abilities we have…" Alexandria murmured in the cavern.

In her gathering recollections, Morbex dismissed himself and she refaced the arched doorway that he had come from then strode through it herself. Once back in the palace she paced through each of the halls leading to Malbex's study, her heart climbing to beat in her ears, and soon she came upon it.

Steeling herself, she closed her hand around the handle and with a flick of the wrist and a light shove, it moved inwards.

She hesitated on the threshold and peeked up and down the great corridor as though expecting to find someone that was going to stop her. But no such person was present.

She refaced the door and gulping softly pushed on it again, causing the entryway to swing ajar halfway. With this opening before her she slipped into the room and paused to take in its appearance.

Malbex had always been a tidy person, but there was no trace of that trait in the dark room now: books, scrolls and logs were strewn across his wide, mahogany desk, and even the books on the shelves in the back were crooked and misplaced, as if Malbex had taken each of them out and then carelessly stuffed them back into their spots.

"Oh, _Alexandria_."

Alexandria jumped and her eyes leaped to one of the windows to find Tentra standing there, his hands on its drawn curtains.

"What a surprise to see you here," he drawled.

He pulled the draperies back, staining the room with tawny light. Nearly blinded, Alexandria hurriedly brought up an arm to shield her eyes.

"Are you here for Malbex, perhaps?"

As the man spoke Alexandria lowered her arm and squinted through the glow filtering through the wall window and leisurely, Tentra crossed the room until he was standing behind the desk.

"Where is he?" she inquired, finally locating his smug expression.

"Well, I was planning on meeting him here, if you'd like to wait." Tentra raised a shoulder. "I was just…fixing up the place a bit, before he showed up." He closed one of the many thick books lying on the table.

"I don't want to talk to him with you around," Alexandria told him bluntly.

"Oh, that hurts my feelings." Tentra gripped his heart and tilted his head to the side as if he had been hit, his silver hair glowing mystically in the light behind him. "Surely whatever you have to tell him you can say in front of me, right? I thought we were all friends here."

"It's fine." Alexandria shook her head and took a retreating step, her instincts yelling for her to exit at that very moment. "I'll find him myself." As she turned back to face the door, the corners of Tentra's eyes flinched.

Alexandria started when the door slammed shut and upon hearing a soft _click_, she reached out and tried to reopen it.

But the handle wouldn't work.

She rounded on Tentra. "Please open the door."

"Oh, so the prince made sure you learned your manners, too!" Tentra praised, his scarlet eyes twinkling with delight. "Of course, he could have probably made sure you learned other things: such as respect."

"I need to find Master Malbex," Alexandria forced through her clenching throat, straining to ensure that Tentra couldn't read into her mounting fear.

"Please…" Alexandria's fingers flinched in the sanctuary cellar. "I need…to find him…"

Renado kept chanting, shaking the maraca to that same, orderly rhythm.

"He is on his way," Tentra repeated, casually circling the desk. "If you were to try looking for him, you might miss him."

Masking her countenance with a stern look, Alexandria reached back for the door handle and tried it again; it still didn't work.

"I get the feeling, Alexandria, that you're not too fond of me," Tentra dragged on. "We've both been here for years and yet, for some reason, you've always hated me. And I wonder, "Why is that?" What did I" – he put a hand on his chest – "ever do to you?"

"Because I've seen you," Alexandria retorted as Tentra stopped a few feet away from the desk. "I've seen you with Master Malbex."

"I've seen it…" Images of all the times she had witnessed Tentra's eyes darken in Malbex's presence flashed and overlapped before her closed eyes, rekindling the hatred she had towards the man.

The hatred she felt for his audacity to alter the personality of the one person that she had ever loved the most.

"Hasn't everyone?" Tentra denied with a transparent smile.

"You did something to him –" Alexandria countered. "He's been talking about the Outside so much now, and he can't – he can't think about things like that. We have to stay here, in Eldonis."

"Oh." Tentra raised his eyebrows. "The Outside? Well…" He tapped his chin. "We can't have that, can we?" Something glazed across his dark red irises. "But…we can't have a certain someone trying to alert anyone either…"

Alexandria pressed her back against the door as Tentra stepped closer, the hue in his eyes deepening.

"Wouldn't your "Master" find that…_disrespectful?"_

Right when Alexandria realized what was going to happen, it was too late: whispers rushed into her ears, overpowering her senses and even dulling the sound of her own screams. Pain threatened to rip her skull in two and she clutched the sides of her head.

She could feel it again now: something alien and unnatural slipping into her mind. And all the while the voices kept hissing, whispering undecipherable phrases into her ears as her head spun and her knees buckled.

Dijonay nearly jumped when Alexandria's scream rent the quiet of the cavern and with wide eyes she and the others watched as she began to squirm against the wall, as if she were trying to pry herself away from something.

Renado's chanting ceased and so did the maraca.

But still Alexandria kept screaming, fighting against the shackles and curling in on herself in an effort to escape. But nothing worked, and she was soon overwhelmed by a sequence of images that vied for her attention, splintering her thoughts even more than they already were.

She could remember it all now: the day she had voluntarily agreed to go with Tentra and Malbex to gain the support of the Shadows; the day they had first arrived in the Twilight Realm; the day she had nearly _murdered_ a child, guised as the princess of Hyrule –

She cringed against all of the memories, wishing desperately that they weren't hers, that they were someone else's. But she knew that such a desire was a vain one.

These memories were hers, actions and all. And she hadn't regretted a single one of them.

"No…!" she moaned in desperation as the sights of her forgotten past loomed over her, crushed her into the dust. "No…! Stop… I didn't – no…!"

Renée bit her tongue, forcing herself to swallow the urge to call out for Renado to end the woman's obvious torture. For if she said something, who knew what would happen?

_"Stop it!"_

As one Renée and the others, save Renado, turned to Dijonay, whose hand was now over her mouth.

Unaware of the event Alexandria screamed again, her body shaking with a violent sob, and with her eardrums overpowered by a shrill and bodiless screech Dijonay collapsed with a pained cry of her own, gripping her skull and clenching her eyes. Then in time with Alexandria's next yell, her mouth opened to let out an agonizing wail.

_"Dijonay!"_ Brent dropped down beside her along with Mekial and Renado hastened to his feet and cleared away the powder in front of Alexandria.

But Dijonay didn't stop screaming.

Though Alexandria began to calm down the girl could not, her mind now being attacked by a barrage of things she couldn't recognize: of the desolate, back streets of an old town, the inert body of a sickly, middle-aged woman lying on a tattered cot, and then of a young boy reaching down to her, his hand spread and his little face softened by a kind smile.

He looked like –

_"Dijonay!"_

Dijonay's eyes snapped open and the unrecognizable images disappeared. Gradually her senses flicked back on and she soon registered that she was lying on her side, her body curled up in fetal position and her hands glued to the sides of her head. Swallowing quietly, she pressed her hands into the dirt of the cave floor and pushed off the ground.

"You're okay!" Mekial exclaimed, evidently relieved and Dijonay shifted her eyes to everyone else, who were still viewing her anxiously.

"Are you all right?" Brent asked and it took Dijonay a moment to fully register the urgency in his tone. She viewed him in a state of near-confusion. "Dijonay?"

"Yes…" She dragged a hand up to hold her head once again. "I…am fine…" Blearily she managed to peek through the group to see that Alexandria was sagging against the wall, almost lifeless. Dijonay's heart nearly stopped but she soon perceived that the woman's chest was rising and falling, at least faintly.

"Come on." Without warning Brent scooped the girl into his arms and her stomach flipped with a wave of nausea. "I'm takin' you back to the inn."

"M…nn…" That was the only reply Dijonay could manage as she slouched against his chest, her stomach churning.

"…It seems her memories were more traumatic than I thought," Renado observed regretfully as Brent left, looking back at Alexandria. "It will take her some time to let them sink in so she can recover. Do you think you'll be coming back to her later?" He looked at Link.

"I don't think so," he answered grimly, shaking his head. "She just told us everything she was reliving, and all of that confirmed everything she already told Brent. …I doubt there's much else to ask her about."

Renado nodded wordlessly and exited the chamber after the others. Behind him, Link slid Alexandria one final, sympathetic look before he, too, went up after them.

* * *

**Next update due for March 15th!**

**Thanks guys for your comments/reviews and such, as always and sorry for posting so late all the time and taking down chapters and re-posting and putting stuff under construction... D;**

**Hopefully with my new method things will run a lot more smoothly from now on xD**


	21. Chapter 21

**I've decided to do the updates in the evening instead of during the day...for some reason this seems to get a better response when it's posted at night :/**

**Anyway, back for another update! Enjoy~**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Dijonay threw up a total of three times before she managed to lie down and rest. Once she was stable Renado informed everyone that she would need to remain in bed for a while and that every few hours she was to be given a glass of water from Eldin's spring until she fully recovered. After the shaman left the inn to retrieve the first dosage the others filed into the room, with Renée and Mekial moving to Dijonay's bedside while Link, Katrina and Brent stood around the bed.

Brent's earlier, concerned visage had faded behind a mask of dissatisfaction as he looked down at her. "You shouldn't have said anything."

Dijonay turned her cloudy vision to him. "But…"

"Dijonay, when it comes to working with spirits, there are a lot of things that aren't guaranteed," he cut in sternly. "For all we know, you could've wound up dead."

"I actually agree with him," Katrina added, folding her arms. "You're lucky you only got a stomachache."

"But…she was suffering…" Dijonay murmured softly, squinting up at each of them. "Could…none of you tell? None of you…wanted to say anything?"

Renée pursed her lips and glanced away.

"I saw…her past…" Dijonay continued quietly, her eyes almost falling shut. "She…she had nothing… Her mother died, and she was left to wander the streets…with nothing…" She sniffed as her eyebrows crinkled. "And then she remembered…all of those horrible things…"

"Don't tell me you _pity_ her?" Katrina interrupted hotly and Dijonay pushed her lips together in noiseless distress. "So what, she had nothing? And her mother _died?" _Her fingernails dug into her sleeves. "Do you know how many people have lost their mothers?!"

Dijonay finally looked at her, her eyes still glistening, and at the sight of the authentic compassion nestled in her young stare Katrina forced her gaze to the side and seethed silently.

"She doesn't need _pity,"_ she finally growled through clenched teeth.

"I think…she does."

Katrina froze and returned her narrowed eyes to the young noble. "What?"

"I think…her life was unfair," Dijonay continued, her eyes boring into Katrina's. "And now her most recent memories are…the most terrible…"

Katrina grunted in the back of her throat and her next utterance sounded at a mutter, "Pathetic…"

"That's _enough!"_ Mekial exploded, rounding on her with rage flashing in his dark eyes. "I've _had_ it with you! Every time Dijonay tries to say something you _always_ shut her down! I thought back in the palace that maybe we'd be able to get along, but clearly we can't! You're always so gloomy – and angry – and you're _always_ trying to force that on the rest of us!"

Katrina's muscles tightened. "I am _not_ –"

"Yes you are!" he shouted, stomping his foot. "You're just so wrapped up in how bad _your _past was – you're not the only one who's had a bad past! Me and Ren lost _our_ mom, too!" His big, brown eyes started to water and he slammed a hand on his chest. "_And _our dad! And so did Dijonay!" He forced his tears down. "Don't you get it? Don't you get that not everyone who's lost family is as cold and empty as you are?!"

The lamplight caught the fire that ignited in Katrina's slim eyes and her biceps flexed, forcing the tips of her knives out of her sleeves.

Mekial moved to brush his cloak over his shoulders, but when Renée stepped in front of him, he stopped.

At the same time Link put a hand on Katrina's shoulder. She flinched beneath his touch and her blades instantly retracted, but then she shrugged out of his hold and stormed out of the room. The walls practically shuddered when she slammed the door behind her.

"You might have taken that a bit far," Link said, facing Mekial.

"I'm not taking anything anywhere!" he retorted heatedly. "_She's_ the one who's always picking on Dijonay!"

"Still," Renée began, "I don't think yelling at her really helped."

Mekial scoffed and dropped into the chair beside Dijonay's bed, crossing his arms. At the sound of a faint groan he looked at Dijonay and found that her eyes were scrunched shut whilst her lips were curled back in pain. His fury retreated a little. "Dijonay?"

"I just…have a headache…" the girl whispered quietly. "That…that is all…"

Mekial turned his worried gaze from her to Renée and then let it dart to the door when it reopened. Immediately he stiffened, only to loosen up when Renado's face appeared. In his hand was a bottle of clear liquid, which the group identified as water from the village's holy spring.

"Renado's back with some Fairy water, Dijonay," Renée informed her as the shaman fully stepped into the room. "We'll come back later, okay?"

Dijonay moaned softly. "O…Okay…"

"We'll see you later, Dijonay," Link called as he walked out after Renée.

"Rest well," Brent added as he exited next.

"See you," Mekial murmured, rising from his chair and he, too, filed out, his cloak billowing quietly behind him.

* * *

Katrina was found to be less sociable with them for what felt like the next couple of days.

Whenever any of them came close she would move away, her jaw set and arms folded, and her dark emotions showed even more whenever she happened to cross paths with Mekial, either made known by a disturbing scowl that she sent him – which he deftly returned – or by the same cold shoulder that she gave to the others.

Brent was the first to get fed up with it and at one point, while he was talking to Mekial on the main road, had noticed Katrina stride by. As soon as she moved past Mekial's happy mood vanished and he turned away, while Brent rolled his eyes. "Seriously, you two?"

Mekial grunted and Katrina stopped shortly a few feet away and cast them a sideways glance. Then she kept walking.

Brent watched her leave with a displeased look before dropping his attention to the sulking mage. Then, his eyes lit up. "Hey."

Mekial looked at him. "What?"

"Let's go bother Ren."

The boy shrugged. "Okay."

After learning from one of the villagers that Renée had been spotted back at the inn the two made their way towards it, sharing ideas on how to cause trouble for the girl. Inside they ran into Link who was just about to enter Ilia's room with Colin beside him. Colin moved in first and right when Link was about to join him, he stopped upon spotting Brent and Mekial's impish expressions.

"Dare I ask," he said as they went by.

Brent looked at him. "What?"

"You two look like you're about to cause trouble."

_"What?"_ Brent looked at Mekial and back at Link. "_Psh!_"

"That's ridiculous!" Mekial added, waving a hand as though to shoo away Link's idea. "Us? _Trouble?_"

"Right." Link faced away with a little, sarcastic smirk. "What was I thinking?" He walked into the room and as the door closed behind him, Brent and Mekial continued up the hallway towards Dijonay's temporary quarters. Upon their arrival Renée stopped in mid-sentence and looked over at the door and Dijonay, who was sitting up in bed with her back propped against the pillows, did the same.

"Ren!" Mekial cried, skirting around Brent to get to her first as the Hylian pretended to double over in pain. "Ren, it's really bad! Brent ate something weird at breakfast!"

Brent groaned quietly, a hand over his mouth and his blue bangs hanging down over his eyes.

"What?" Dijonay looked at Brent fearfully, as did Renée.

"Is he gonna be okay?" the latter asked, starting to rise from her seat.

"I…don't know…!" Brent held his stomach, staggering closer. "But… I don't think I'm gonna make it – _urgh!"_

Without warning he keeled over with a retching sound and both Renée and Dijonay's mouths fell in overt horror at the sight of something brown spilling between his fingers.

Renée recoiled in theatrical abhorrence, while Dijonay yanked the blankets up to her nose with a squeak. But when Mekial and Brent started laughing, the two were left to look between them in confusion.

Snickering, Brent straightened up and lowered his hand from his clean mouth. "Gotcha!" He showed them his hand and there the girls found that the strange brown stuff that had looked to be falling out of his mouth had shrunken back into a liquid-like blob in his palm.

Renée's look of revulsion was so comical that Brent and Mekial started laughing again. "What _is_ that?!"

"It's putty!" Mekial told her through his laughs, holding up a hand to Brent. He in turn tilted his hand to the side, letting the strange pile of matter slide into the mage's hand like water. Renée only looked more repulsed.

"That is the most _ghastly_ –" Dijonay started but cut off with a gag and hid her face beneath the blanket.

"That's so gross…" Renée sagged back into her seat, her head in her hands.

"Aww, it's not that _bad_, Ren!" Brent took one edge of the putty and with Mekial holding the other part they held it in front of her face and shook it around so that it jiggled. _"Blehhh!"_

"Gahh!" Renée swung herself away from the sight and slammed her face into the bed sheets, much to Brent and Mekial's entertainment.

"I have never seen such a thing before…" Dijonay murmured, lowering the blanket enough to view the putty as Mekial proceeded to pull and stretch it in different directions.

"Well, we mages use it a lot for training because it's a challenge to manipulate," he said and with one final tug the putty began to sag to the floor. It brushed the back of Renée's neck in the process and she lurched up with a start, which made both Brent and Mekial snigger once more.

"You carry that around _with _you?" she cried, now sitting on the bed and eyeing the slime with obvious distaste.

"Well, it's actually easy for me to make," Mekial stated matter-of-factly. "I can just throw it back outside later. But I haven't played with it in a long time!" He stretched it out so that it was nearly transparent and made a face of exaggerated astonishment before holding it against his face.

Brent laughed again.

Renée shuddered. "Just…stop. Please."

"Okay, okay…" Mekial balled the putty up and rolled it between his palms so that it took on the shape of a mushy ball.

"Can't believe you'd do that to me…" Renée shook her head and covered her face with a hand. _"Ugh!_ I bet this was your idea, wasn't it?" Her eyes shot up to Brent's.

He snickered. "Maybe."

"I think it was a good idea!" Mekial cheered with a broad smile. "You guys kinda looked like you were in the middle of something serious."

"…Oh, um," suddenly recalling the topic she and Renée had been discussing before Brent and Mekial's arrival, Dijonay brought the blanket down to her chest. "Renée and I were just speaking about Albaan; she was telling me that when she was younger, her father would tell you both stories about it and the catacombs."

"Catacombs?" Brent echoed, intrigued.

"Dad told us stories?" Mekial frowned.

"Yeah." Renée edged her way back into her seat and as she did, Brent grabbed the chair close to the foot of the bed and straddled it while Mekial leaned against the wall. "You may not remember but since Dad was a sailor, he often went to Albaan. He'd always tell us about the catacombs in the capital."

"Are they real?" Brent asked.

"Sometimes I wondered," Renée admitted, smiling faintly at the memory of her father's tales. "He always said they were haunted. But, Dijonay says they really exist."

"Yes." Dijonay tipped her chin in confirmation. "The catacombs are said to run beneath the capital and lead to the back entrance of the Palace of Albaan. Centuries ago an Albaanian king was assassinated by a group of barbaric intruders so, along with reinforcing the defenses around the palace, the catacombs were connected to it in order to provide the next kings with an escape route, should such a thing ever occur again."

"Can they be navigated?" Brent inquired.

"Well, they were turned into a maze after being connected to the palace," Dijonay responded quietly. "I heard from a visiting ambassador that rumors in the city say the only way to get through them is by being guided by the "Eye of Ptolemn"."

"What's a Ptolemn?" Mekial looked from her to Renée.

"That's the name of the assassinated king," Renée answered. "I was thinking that when we went to Albaan's capital, we could try to see if we could use those catacombs to get into the palace. They're connected to the church, right?" She looked at Dijonay for verification.

"Yes: the Church of Our Lady Grenich."

"But if it can only be navigated by using Ptolemn's Eye or whatever," Mekial started, his brow creasing with uncertainty, "how're we supposed to get through it?"

"Well, I thought we could at least try it out." Renée shrugged. "And if it doesn't work out, then I guess we'll just have to break in to the palace the old fashioned way and hope we don't get killed."

"Hm." Brent lowered his eyes with a thoughtful pause of consideration. "When you put it that way it does sound like looking into it wouldn't be a bad idea. Since the Church is connected to the catacombs, it's likely there should be something there that could give us a hint or something. Were you gonna mention this to the others?"

"Yeah," Renée replied when he looked at her. "But, it just came up now, so…"

"Then we'll take care of it. Right?" He looked up at Mekial. "I wanna try out our new trick again, anyway. Link first?"

Mekial's face split into a wide grin. "Of course!"

Brent got up from his chair with a smirk of his own and as he reached his full height, he peeked down at Renée who was no longer facing him. Silently, he reached down and brushed his fingertips against the back of her neck.

Unleashing a wild shout of surprise she jumped, slamming her hand against the spot Brent had touched and expecting to feel putty. But when she felt nothing but the skin of her nape she glared up at Mekial, who was now closer since Brent had hastened to the door while stifling his laughter with his fist.

"I didn't do it!" Mekial cried, holding up his empty hands while trying not to snicker.

"Then why are you laughing!?"

"Because –" A snort slipped out of him. "It was funny!"

Renée frowned but at the sound of a light chuckle from the doorway, she whirled around to find Brent watching her with an amused expression. In the next instant she spied his shoulders that were shaking with mirth. "Brent!"

With one final laugh he exited the room and Mekial quickly dodged out after him.

Renée sighed and leaned against the bed, her hands still firmly clasped to the back of her neck. But at the sound of soft giggling, she peeked up. "What's so funny?"

"Oh." Dijonay stopped but still couldn't hide her lingering smile. "It is just that…Brent told me that you were his number one victim when it came to jokes."

"Yeah, ha, ha." Renée dropped her face into the mattress again. "It's been going on for _years_. He's probably gonna get my brother into it now."

Dijonay chuckled again and once more Renée turned her eyes up to her. "It does seem like the two of them are getting closer."

"I can only hope he doesn't turn into Brent's clone." Renée pushed away from the bed and leaned against her chair's backrest. "They hung out so much in the Twilight Realm that soon some of Mekial's jokes started to remind me of Brent." That fact made her laugh a bit.

Dijonay watched her with the smallest trace of a smile, and at the conclusion of a short hum of contemplation spoke her next thoughts, "Do you like him?"

"What?" Renée's face instantly fell into a look of confusion.

"Brent, I mean."

"Um…" The lamplight caught the red that flashed in Renée's cheeks as she looked at the door and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, we kind of grew up together. At times, he kind of seems like a big brother to me, really. Y'know," she rerouted her vision to Dijonay's face, "the bratty kind."

Dijonay laughed again but then her expression gradually dissipated into one of subtle hesitation. "What…what about Link?"

"What?" Renée's earlier perplexity returned.

"Because…" Dijonay gripped fistfuls of the quilt. "I had not realized until after he saw his friend, Ilia's, condition but I…I think, I –"

She was interrupted by a chorus of disgusted shouts from the next room, sounding like a mixture of children's and young adults' voices. Startled, both she and Renée turned their attention to the wall.

"What is that?" one voice that sounded like Link's questioned. Judging by his tone, it was inferred that his initial surprise was giving heed to curiosity.

"Putty!" Mekial was heard to exclaim.

"That's so cool!" Talo cried. "Lemme try!" There was a short period of silence where Mekial presumably gave the drooping goo to the young child, and then Talo's voice came again: "_Urgh…! _Beth! I – I think I'm sick…! _Bleurghh!"_

_"Ewww!"_

"Of course…" Renée turned away from the wall as a blend of laughter and indecipherable yells sounded next. Now looking back at Dijonay, she addressed her, "What were you saying?"

Dijonay's eyes gradually refocused upon her face and then with a quick averting of her gaze, her fingers began to twist around the blanket. "Oh. Nothing…"

"Dijonay…?" Renée tilted her head to the side in order to make eye contact with the girl and it wasn't until she finally could did she speak again, "Were you going to tell me something?"

Dijonay forced a faint smile and undid her fingers from around the sheets. "No. It is nothing, really."

Renée didn't appear convinced. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." The girl nodded firmly. "Truly, nothing important."

Renée viewed her suspiciously, fully aware that she was undoubtedly hiding something. But just as she parted her lips to speak once more there came another cry from the room next door: "_No, Ariel!_ Don't eat that!"

Renée shook her head with a partly amused sigh. "Are you up for making sure our brothers aren't being too ridiculous?"

Dijonay smiled weakly. "It may be too late for that. But…I think I may just lie down for a while longer."

Renée's features softened with understanding. "All right. One of us will come back later with some more Fairy water." She rose from her seat and picked up the empty bottle that was on the nightstand. As she did, Dijonay readjusted her pillows so that she could lie on her back and upon catching Renée's eye she sent her a quick smile.

"Later." Raising a hand in farewell, Renée turned and departed.

Once the door clicked shut behind her Dijonay shifted into a more comfortable position and stared up at the ceiling, the blankets drawn up to her chin and her fingers curling around their edges.

Part of her wondered if she should have completed her thought for Renée to hear but at the same time she was glad she hadn't. If she had spoken her feelings aloud, it would have made them that much harder for Dijonay herself to ignore.

Even now, with these thoughts building up within her, she found that it was hard for her to even try to relax, for they were underhandedly nagging her with the idea that she might actually –

Dijonay cut herself off at that with a light yelp and tugged the blanket over her face. There she remained, her eyes squeezed shut as she waited for her thudding heart to steady to its normal pace. After what felt like hours it finally did and her muscles went lax enough for her to ease into a soundless slumber.

But no sooner had she begun to ease up did her limbs suddenly constrict yet again, tightening into a familiar state of mental paralysis. Her heart lurched with a start and her eyes flew open, leaving her to stare through the darkness beneath the covers and into a lightless, dank tunnel that seemed to crowd around her.

An unnatural, cold bite crept across her skin and though she willed for herself to shiver she could not, nor could she even twist her head to the side when a strange, crackling sound emanated from one of the rocky walls.

Feeling shot back through her nerves and with a sharp cry she forced the blanket off of her head. Whirling images swooned in and out of the white haze now exiting her vision and soon the inn room reappeared, dimly lit and just as quiet as it had been before.

But at a slight sputtering sound Dijonay jumped and whipped her head to the side, where her eyes were met by the crackling glass lantern situated on the nightstand.

Releasing her tension with a tired sigh she replaced her focus on the ceiling. She had only seen that vision once before, back when she had been leaving the forest province with Midna, Link, Brent and Princess Zelda.

Just as it had been back then, she wasn't sure she could make any particular sense of the future occurrence. But she did know that, just as back then, she was greatly disturbed by the peculiar crackling noise that it included.

* * *

The palace was always so uncannily quiet, as if everyone that inhabited it had lost their voice. The only sound that was ever heard was that of footsteps moving through the halls, or even the snippets of conversations that slipped through the doors of the servants' quarters.

Though, Kelvis was never bothered by this. Things were simpler this way. Now that Malbex had finally gotten what he wanted, there was no more dangerous work to be done. Then again, even if such tasks were necessary at that time, Kelvis wouldn't have minded that, either.

Striding down one of the many corridors of the Palace of Albaan, his features were dark and detached. He didn't even make eye contact with any of the servants or guards that happened to pass him by, not even when they tipped their heads in salutation.

Beneath his harsh exterior Kelvis wondered about those people sometimes, specifically why so many of them followed Malbex even though the world had grown darker the longer he was among them. He never wondered it for long, though, and soon came to the conclusion that they were either desperate for the restoration of a governmental system they had known for so long, or were simply viewing the dark clouds' arrival as mere coincidence.

Kelvis came to a leisurely halt when he stepped out of the corridor and into the vast atrium that was connected to it. Here the entire ceiling had been replaced by glass which was supposed to let in sunlight but, since the sun was absent at the time, the room was instead lit by lanterns of amber light that sat in the walls. Though they were nowhere near as bright as the sun, they did serve their purpose well.

By light of these lanterns Kelvis was able to see all of the details of the chamber, from the meticulous tapestries hanging on the walls to the wide mural painting on the far right. On both sides of the image a tall doorway led into a connecting passage and standing in between them with his head tilted back to view the mural was Morbex.

Kelvis couldn't see the young man's face since his back was to him and so he instead lifted his black eyes to the painting. Like other portraits placed throughout the palace the sun was included, this time taking up the upper middle of the wall while its rays shined down on luscious grass fields that were crowded by people – either fictitious characters or figures of Albaanian historical descent. Even the three goddesses had been included in the image, with all of them circled around the great star whilst gazing upon the earth and its people with loving eyes.

Unimpressed, Kelvis' boots inaudibly clopped against the smooth, tiled floor as he made his way towards one of the passages beside the artwork, but once reaching a certain spot was overheard by Morbex. Dropping his attention from the illustration, the spokesman's eyes almost automatically fastened on Kelvis' nearing figure.

"Oh." He faced around completely. "Hello, Kelvis."

Kelvis' uninterested look didn't change. "…Your Highness." He kept walking.

"Um," Morbex interjected as he started past and Kelvis stopped to view him through his peripheral sight. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" He attempted to smile in spite of Kelvis' steadfast, deadpan look. "Since we've been able to talk, I mean."

"…I guess." He looked away. "Considering your busy schedule."

"Yeah…" Morbex bounced a fist against his thigh distractedly. "…Can I…ask you something?"

When Kelvis didn't answer, Morbex took it as a sign to continue.

"The darkness of this country, of this empire…what do you make of it?"

Kelvis slid him a sidelong look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…what do you think caused it?"

"…Dunno. Why?"

"Because…" Morbex's eyes sank to the floor. "It didn't start getting like this until after Malbex began his reign. I was just beginning to wonder if, maybe it really _was_…Malbex's fault."

Kelvis watched him carefully. "…And if it is?"

"Then, what if the people are right to hate him?" Morbex uttered this quietly, as though worried his brother might overhear from a shadowy corner. "I've been visiting the people often, and it seems they're getting more and more cross with everything that's been going on: farmers can't work, Shadows are roaming the fields just outside the towns, merchants can't travel anywhere…" He shook his head despairingly. "I can't keep coming up with excuses, Kelvis… I feel like, they're going to read through me soon."

He looked up at him, his cherry eyes practically begging for a suggestion that would get him out of this. But Kelvis' cold demeanor didn't change.

"…If the people really were to rebel and tried to kill your brother," he started, holding Morbex's doleful eyes, "whose side would you take?"

Morbex's eyebrows creased transiently and his lips parted to give a response. But at the daunting stare Kelvis scrutinized him with, he stopped.

Whose side _would_ he take?

On one hand, he wanted to make it so the people no longer saw Malbex in a bad light; to show them that his brother was capable of ruling New Eldonis and that the absence of the sun was just coincidence. But what if such a thing were impossible?

What if, in order to return the land to the way it had once been, he had to betray Malbex?

With his mind waging war over the decision, he clenched his fists. He couldn't turn against his brother; there was no way he could. But somewhere deep in his heart a soundless entity prodded him, urged him that if such a time came, he would have to cast loyalty aside.

But why would he even want to consider such a thing?

"I…" His eyes thinned as his thoughts raged, pitting his emotions and beliefs against one another. "I would…"

"If you can't figure it out, maybe you're just not cut out for this sort of thing." Kelvis faced away and Morbex inwardly cringed with disappointment. "Give your job to someone else."

Before Morbex could reply, Kelvis left as silently as he had arrived.

Morbex stared after him, his shoulders sagging in utter defeat. The man was right: maybe he wasn't meant for this sort of duty.

But at the same time he felt like he had to live up to it, as if it was his birthright. Like the subtle feeling that prompted him to turn against his sibling, he wondered why he felt that way.

Gloomily, Morbex returned his eyes to the mural and stared at the sun, wishing for it to reappear in the heavens so as to shed light on the confusion crowding his mind. But given the state of things, he figured a wish like that wasn't one that was easily bound to come to fruition.

He sighed dejectedly and with a dropping of his chin, left the chamber via the passage Kelvis hadn't followed.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Streams of daylight peeked over the hills encompassing the village, winking down at the inhabitants and gradually mounting in brightness. Warm, spring winds hustled through, kicking up thin clouds of dust and all along the main road children participated in made-up games, laughing and joking through every round and their wide smiles reflecting the rising sun.

Older locals meandered about or engaged in simple, rural activity: heading to the shops or hot springs, tending to their livestock or preparing for a short trip to the capital while conversing with as much free spiritedness as the children.

Shadows, monsters or natural, were nowhere in sight and the bleakness that had once been present during Malbex's reign was no more. In fact there was not even a hint of it left, leaving the village and even the entire country in a state of renewed peace.

It was beautiful.

Zelda smiled faintly and with that small motion toppled back into reality. Almost instantly, her face fell. From her seat inside the Elde Inn's dining room her eyes lingered upon the dark, despairing look of the outdoors and her expression settled into one of somberness.

She wished she didn't have to yearn for daylight, as she had been ever since she had returned to Kakariko in her right mind. But, she understood that she had to wait and trust that when Link and the others journeyed to Malbex's stronghold, they would be blessed with victory.

And on that day, the world would be righted. On that day, she would take a deep breath of the spring wind and smile as the sun reached down to kiss her face and return life to her desolate homeland. On that day all would return to normal and there would be no more need for the people to fear.

Zelda's heart grew light with that hopeful belief and another smile tugged at the corners of her painted lips. She could look forward to that day, in spite of what everything looked like now. She could imagine the greatness of daylight and know that that sight would soon leave her mind to manifest itself in reality.

Perhaps she could picture such a thing so vividly because she understood she wasn't the only one picturing it. Like her, everyone else in the village was desirous for light and warmth and were tired of the chilly winds and clouds that never broke. Simply knowing their wishes were in line with hers made her that much more hopeful.

At the sound of footsteps creaking on floorboards Zelda abruptly fixed her attention on the inn balcony. As far as she knew she was the only one inside the inn, for everyone else had departed to visit friends or find something to do in the village. But when she heard the gentle groan of wood again, she suddenly remembered who it was that could be arriving.

Sure enough, Midna appeared at the head of the stairs, stretching her long blue arms and her Twili guards treading along after her. Once her muscles were relaxed enough the foreign princess started down the steps, all the while cupping a hand over her mouth to hide her wide yawn.

"It is good to see that you are awake," Zelda greeted and Midna jumped with a subtle jolt of shock.

"Oh! I didn't even see you there." Reaching the base of the steps she yawned again. "Yeah, I had a nice nap. I didn't think using that Grell so much would be so exhausting. Remind me to moderate my usage of it in the future." She looked up at one of her guards.

"Yes, Your Highness," it replied in its low, alien-like voice.

"So, Zelda," Midna looked over at her, her bright eyes full of energy. "Where is everybody?"

"If you mean Link and the others," the princess began, "I believe they are outside. But, as to what they are doing, I am not sure."

"Huh." While Zelda had been speaking Midna had crossed the room and taken the seat across from her. "How long was I asleep, anyway?"

Zelda paused uncertainly. "I suppose…a little over a couple of days, perhaps? But, time is so difficult to tell here."

"Oh, right…" Midna folded her arms and crossed one leg over the other. "But, with how you guys are, missing out on a couple days means missing out on a lot. So, what did I miss?"

Zelda opened her mouth to begin an explanation of everything that had occurred during Midna's rest, but stopped when the door of the inn opened to reveal a shivering Mekial.

With a soft sneeze he rushed into the dining room and pulled the door shut, then released a quiet sigh of relief as the inn's warmth rushed to soothe his icy skin. No sooner had the breath escaped him did he spot looming figures in his side view and upon looking, he found Midna's Twili guards to be standing there.

He jumped back with a start and clutched his racing heart, then let his gaze dart to the table that the princesses were at. Upon identifying Midna, his eyes widened in excitement. "Whoa! You're up!"

"Morning!" Midna greeted. "Still cold outside, huh?"

"It actually feels like it's gotten colder," he told her, rubbing his bare arms. "This cloak doesn't even keep me warm anymore. Oh, but," he straightened his once hunched spine, "did you just wake up?"

"Yes."

"Well, you wouldn't happen to know how to talk to dragons, would you?"

Midna stopped in order to see if she properly registered his words. "What?"

"There's this dragon," Mekial started to explain. "It landed in the village yesterday. Me and the others used to ride it with Morbex and he would talk to it in his language. But, since he's not here anymore, we were thinking you could do it, since it's possible that the languages of Eldonis and the Twilight Realm are similar."

"Talk to a dragon…?" Midna shook her head and refaced Zelda. "I told you Zelda: it only takes a couple days."

The Hylian princess smiled with acknowledgement.

"What am I supposed to say to this dragon exactly?" The blue-skinned ruler looked back at Mekial.

"Uh, well…" He glanced away. "Maybe you should ask Link or Brent that."

"All right, well…" Midna got up. "I guess the next thing to ask would be: where's the dragon?"

* * *

Midna froze in her tracks when she came to the secluded area presently housing the enormous, scaly creature that was the argorok. By Mekial's orb of light its grim features were heavily emphasized, making it appear even more alarming than it already was. Even as she looked at it, Midna's mind drew her back to her journey with Link the previous year; particularly to the time she had watched him fight the fearsome, armored dragon of the mythical City in the Sky.

"You want me to _talk_ to this thing?" She rounded on the group that was behind her, consisting of Renée, Brent, Link, Mekial and Zelda.

"It'd help," Brent answered as the argorok rose from its lying down position and slowly came towards them.

"We were planning to use him to take us to the capital of Albaan, where Malbex's palace is," Link added. "But, whenever we rode him Morbex was the one who spoke to him, typically, and told him when and where to land or fly. We guessed that if we were to try doing that now without having some way to communicate with him, it wouldn't end well."

"'Him', huh…" Midna looked back at the argorok, craning her neck back in order to see the entirety of its horned head. "What am I supposed to say…?"

"The plan for us now is to have the argorok take us to Albaan," Renée stated, drawing Midna's eyes to her, and she then proceeded to tell the princess of how the beast had shown Link a vision of the palace when it had first arrived, as well as the fact that such interaction meant that the argorok was tame towards them.

To this, Midna switched her attention to Link. "You never cease to amaze me…"

"Since the argorok already knows where the palace is, we were hoping it could drop us off in the city and have it act as a distraction for the soldiers on the palace grounds, while we sneak in another way," Brent picked up, gaining Midna's focus. "So, I guess, ask if it can take us to Albaan so it can do that?"

The Twili nodded distractedly and she returned her vision to the magnificent creature, wondering how in the world they had managed to tame it so that it wasn't inclined to burn them all to a crisp. Then, clearing her throat, she called up to it in the language of her realm, _"Hey."_

Much to her bewilderment, the argorok's little ears flicked up and it lowered its golden eyes to her.

It took Midna a second to recover from her initial surprise, but when she did she proceeded to relay Brent's message to it. As the words of her homeland flowed from her tongue the argorok growled in the depths of its chest, as though humming with understanding, and it never removed its bright eyes from her small face. When the woman finished speaking, it released a quiet snort from its flared nostrils and straightened up with a croaky roar that rattled in the base of its throat.

"…Well." Midna dropped her gaze and twisted to look at those behind her. "I think he gets it."

"What'd you tell him?" Mekial inquired interestedly.

"Same thing as what Brent said: drop you off at the capital of Albaan and then go bother soldiers at the palace."

Renée looked from her to the dragon and back. "You really said it like that?"

Midna shrugged. "More or less. So, while you guys are off taking care of things at the palace, are the rest of us supposed to wait here?"

"Actually, the Generals and I were meaning to ask you if you could transport us, the soldiers that had once been on duty here and Alexandria Ruheart back to the capital," Zelda answered.

"Alexandria Ruheart?" Midna echoed, her eyebrows rising. "Isn't that the name of the woman that impersonated you? She's _here?"_

"Right, you were asleep…" Brent murmured.

"Right now, they're keeping her in the sanctuary cellar," Mekial told her. "And…" He exchanged looks with the others.

Brent turned his eyes from the child and back to Midna. "Do you remember when, back in the palace, I told you about how Morbex's friend Kelvis wound up working with Malbex?" he asked and after a moment of thought, Midna nodded in confirmation.

Seeing this motion, Brent went on to tell her about all that she had missed during her recovery, from his interrogation with Alexandria and how she had lost and recovered her memories, to how Dijonay had spoken out during Renado's ritual, which had resulted in her bedridden state.

She was faring rather well now, he replied when Midna asked if the girl was all right, and according to Renado should be up and about sometime later that day. But as far as Alexandria went, she hadn't shown any signs of life to anyone else that came near her: whenever one of the generals had gone to give her a meal, he would return with the report that she seemed emotionless and hollow. She never touched her food, either.

"I suppose, considering the kind of person she is now," Midna speculated when Brent finished, "remembering the sort of things she did would have a heavy toll on her."

Brent didn't respond.

"But…Fenri magic is tricky," Midna continued worriedly. "If I'm not mistaken, mind-bending is something they seem fairly proud of. I know that what she's said is all you really have to work with, but…" She hesitated for an instant, considering how to phrase her next thoughts.

"…My ancestors used to dabble in things related to hypnosis," she informed them, "and from what I've learned through all of this, the Fenri have perfected almost all of my ancestors' magic. I don't mean to shoot down what little info you've managed to gather, but, I think it'd be good to keep in mind that Alexandria Ruheart's memories may be false."

"…Eldin did say the Fenri could manipulate how people remember things," Renée recalled after a moment.

"That's a bit of a frightening thought," Mekial murmured, also remembering the spirit's information.

"It's just something to keep in mind," Midna assured them. "I only want for you guys to at least go in level-headed."

Link glanced around at the troubled visages of the others, and knew that their concern was just as visible on his face. "…For now, we've at least got everything else settled," he reminded them. "When Dijonay's feeling well enough, we should probably get going."

Midna's grim visage lightened just a little. "I'll stay at Hyrule Castle while you guys are over in Albaan," she told them. "When this is all over, I myself would like to see the sun return to your world."

"Yeah…" Link agreed gravely. "Same here."

* * *

Just as Renado had assured, Dijonay was up and about later that day. Even Ilia felt well enough to get out of bed and coincidentally, they exited their rooms at the same time, and so met one another on the second level of the village hostel.

Dijonay stopped short upon seeing the Ordonian and quickly forced her eyes to the side. But even with her gaze averted, she could sense Ilia's attention lingering on her.

"You're Link's friend from earlier, right?" she asked and cautiously Dijonay returned her eyes to the girl's face. Then she nodded. "I'm Ilia," Ilia continued. "What's your name?"

"Dijonay." She gripped bunches of the hem of her dress.

"Oh." Ilia smiled sweetly. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Dijonay. I think you're one of the few friends of Link's that I haven't met yet, like the boy with the blue hair and that other girl…" She averted her eyes in thought. "She always looks so sad…"

Dijonay turned her eyes to the balcony railing silently.

Ilia looked at her at the same moment, and her faint smile became a bit dismayed. "You do, too."

Dijonay looked back at her.

"But, maybe it's just the bad weather we've been having," Ilia continued, as though she were trying to relate.

"Perhaps…" Dijonay mumbled, her eyes falling again. Then, mustering up her courage, she spoke up, "Um…how are you feeling? I heard…or, rather saw you, when we returned…"

"Oh." Ilia's face brightened. "Much better, thank you. And what about you?"

Dijonay blinked. "Me?"

Ilia nodded. "Link told me about what happened in the sanctuary. You were trying to speak out for that girl, even though she was a criminal. He admired your courage for it."

"L-Link did…?" Dijonay averted her eyes in embarrassment. "Well…I just could not bear to see someone in so much pain…"

The villager smiled warmly. "You have a big heart then, Dijonay."

"O-Oh." Dijonay blushed. "Thank you."

"Were you going to get something to eat?" Ilia pointed to the balcony stairs. "Lying in bed for so long and drinking only Fairy water can work up an appetite."

"Yes." Dijonay allowed the corners of her mouth to rise in a kind smile. "A fairly big one."

Returning the facial gesture, Ilia led the outlander to the dining room, where they greeted the workers in the kitchen and were soon served a hearty breakfast of pancakes and scrambled eggs. Together the girls ate and soon slipped into friendly conversation, discussing idle topics or reacting to the stories that Dijonay shared.

"A monkey vine?" Ilia repeated, her eyes crinkling with laughter as she tried to envision such a thing.

"Yes." Dijonay smiled weakly. "It was actually rather frightening – but those monkeys are strong animals."

"Wow…" Ilia rested her chin in her hand. "Talo was always interested in them. He even befriended one."

"What?" Dijonay's eyebrows went up. "Befriending a monkey?"

"Yeah." Ilia chuckled. "He even gave one a name: Rosa."

"Rosa? Like rose?"

"Mmhmm; the monkey actually wore a rose on her head."

"Oh!" Dijonay covered her mouth and started to giggle. "I did not know monkeys did that!"

"Yeah. But, he always wound up in trouble for playing with her, because sometimes they'd go off into the forest," Ilia reminisced.

"Talo is the elder brother of…Malo, correct?"

"Yes."

"He always did seem to have a certain rebellious trait about him…" Dijonay recalled. "He kind of reminds me of my bodyg – my friend, Mekial."

"The boy with the cloak, right?"

Dijonay nodded. "He can get rather prideful sometimes, because he knows that his magical abilities far surpass anyone of his age."

"He's a mage?"

Dijonay nodded again. "A very powerful one, too."

"Wow…so is that why he has that stone in his forehead?" Ilia pointed at her own forehead. "He's a Ravine Mage, right?"

Dijonay hesitated. "Well, not particularly…that stone was embedded into him so as to increase his natural ability."

"Really? Why?"

"Because…" Dijonay winced.

While being abroad, she had told her traveling companions that she didn't want them to address her by her political title, nor did she want people here to find out about her political position, so that she wouldn't have to go into an explanation on why someone in such a role was in their country. Princess Zelda and Morbex had been the only exceptions, and that had mainly been because the two were told most of the group's story anyway.

Nevertheless, bringing up the real reason behind Mekial's strength enhancer would undoubtedly lead to her revealing this particular secret. She didn't want to lie to Ilia – but she didn't want to prattle on about such a topic either.

"…There are a select few people that are given those stones," she said after filtering her thoughts. "Mekial is one of them."

Ilia frowned. "Why? Did he earn it somehow?"

"Yes," Dijonay agreed automatically, clinging to that definition instead of the true one, which stated that all bodyguards of prime ministers were to be equipped with the stone. "That is why."

"Wow…" Ilia sat back in her chair. "It sounds like Link has amazing support now. I'm actually relieved."

Dijonay tilted her head to the side. "Why?"

"Well…Link can be a bit careless at times," Ilia sighed quietly. "He just does things…without really thinking about how it affects other people. But, I think he's changing." She raised grateful eyes to the girl before her. "And I think that's because he's been traveling almost all around the world with you all. I think that's what's helping him to understand that his actions affect other people. I'm grateful for that." Her smile broadened. "Someone's finally getting through to him."

"Oh…" Dijonay looked down at her empty plate. "He did not come across that way to me."

"Really?"

Dijonay shook her head. "When we were all leaving Arkania, he did not wish for us to come with him. Perhaps he was concerned that as civilian outsiders, we would be getting involved in something dangerous."

"He always did have that protective instinct," Ilia thought aloud. "Or he may have thought that he could handle all of this on his own."

Dijonay smiled bashfully. "Maybe."

The corners of Ilia's lips twitched as she looked away. "Thank you, Dijonay."

"Eh?"

"I want to thank all of you, for keeping an eye on Link this whole time." Ilia redirected an appreciative smile to the Arkanian. "And, whenever you all leave here again, I hope you continue to do that."

Dijonay's next smile was even more sheepish than the last. "You sound like a mother."

"O-Oh." Ilia's face fell and her cheeks reddened. "Do I?"

But Dijonay didn't answer. All she did was rest her sad yet understanding eyes on the center of the table.

She understood now, understood why Link's heart was so soft towards this girl. And she, in turn, was…

The dining room door clicked and swung open and as one Ilia and Dijonay shifted their eyes to it. There on the threshold was Renée, and as she stepped inside her eyes moved to meet the stares of those that were watching her. Instantly her face broke into a grin.

"Hey, Dijonay you're up! I was just about to come and see how you're doing." As she crossed the room, she smiled to Dijonay's tablemate. "Hi, Ilia."

"Hi," Ilia greeted.

"You know each other?" Dijonay inquired.

"Sorta." Renée stopped beside the table. "We talked a little, here and there, while you and Brent were off seeing that Fairy."

"Oh…"

"Anyway, Dijonay," Renée's once energetic features dimmed a little. "How long have you been awake? Or do you want to rest a while longer?"

"No, I am all right. I have been here with Ilia for a few hours or so; we both awoke at around the same time."

"Well, it seems like a good day for everyone, then. Midna woke up earlier, too."

"Oh!" Dijonay's entire expression changed to one of relief. "That is good. Does that mean she spoke to the dragon, then?"

"Yeah. So just let us know when you're up for leaving. Once you're all set, we're taking off."

"Already?" Ilia asked.

"…Yeah." Renée looked at her somberly. "The sooner we can take care of all of this, the better after all. But, don't rush yourself, Dijonay."

"No, it is fine." Dijonay got out of her seat. "I am ready."

Renée gave her an analytical look. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." The young politician dropped and raised her chin in solid confidence. "Because, like you said: the sooner we can end this, the better." She returned her eyes to Ilia's concerned look.

"Are you sure you're ready to leave now?" she asked, getting up.

"Yes. I will be fine." Dijonay smiled pleasantly. "There is no need to worry."

Ilia regarded her with a careful look before deciding that there was probably nothing she could say or do that would make the girl change her mind. As such, she returned her smile with a small one of her own.

"Guess that means it's time to round up everyone else," Renée took a step back, indicating that she was about to head outside.

"All right. I will meet you there." Dijonay looked at her when she said this and nodding her understanding, Renée made her way back to the inn's entrance.

As she walked away Dijonay picked up her empty platter and proceeded to bring it back to the kitchen. Ilia did the same with hers and then they approached the front doors; both of them jumped at Renée's sudden shout of terror.

"Renée?!" Dijonay rushed outside first only to stop short, wide-eyed, at what she saw.

Renée looked to be frozen stiff and her broadened eyes were fixated on Brent, who was standing in front of her while waving his nub of a shoulder.

"It's _awful_, Ren!" he cried out. "The argorok _ate_ my _arm!"_

"Wh-wh… What the –!?" Renée tried to take a step back as Brent came closer. "How did –"

But she cut herself off and narrowed her eyes at his supposedly missing arm, and with her shoulders straightening she stood her ground. "Mekial! Where are you?!"

Dijonay redirected her eyes to Brent when his frantic yells simmered into amused laughter and before her and Ilia's eyes, the charm over his arm leaked away to reveal the entire, toned limb.

As that happened Mekial came out from behind him, snickering merrily, and Renée rubbed her face. "I should've seen this coming…"

"C'mon, Ren, you should know by now that I always catch you off guard!" Brent exclaimed with a satisfied grin, spreading his arms as he leaned forward to embrace her.

"No! Don't touch me!" Renée attempted to wriggle out of his hold, squirming around like a toddler that didn't want to get picked up.

"Um…" At Ilia's utterance Brent and Renée froze and looked over at her, Renée peering through her now disheveled bangs with a steadfast pout. "Is everything all right?"

Renée heaved a sigh. "This happens more times than I can count."

"It's not like you never get me back." Brent released her. "But get this: it was Mekial's idea!"

Renée looked down at her beaming brother, unimpressed. "Just my luck."

"I only wish I could've seen your expression," he laughed. "We should try that again sometime!"

"Not on me," Renée frowned.

"No, of course not. We'd try a different one on you."

Renée made a face.

"Are you, Brent?" Ilia questioned, looking up at the tall Hylian.

"That's me." He looked back at her and recognition flashed in his light brown gaze. "Oh, and you're Link's friend. It's good to see you're doing better." As Ilia smiled in appreciation of his concern, his gaze moved to Dijonay. "You, too."

"Thank you," Dijonay replied. "Renée has also informed me of what has happened. I am prepared to leave now."

Hearing this, both Brent and Mekial looked to be taken aback. "Are you sure you're up for it?" the former asked. "You did just wake up, didn't you?"

"Yes, but…I am fine," Dijonay assured him. "I believe that it is important for us to leave as soon as we can."

Hearing this, both Brent and Mekial looked at Renée, who merely raised her shoulders.

"Are you sure you're sure?" Mekial inquired concernedly.

"Yes." Dijonay sent him a warm smile. "I am sure."

"Well, in that case, I guess it's time to get everyone else," Brent figured. "We should probably meet up with the argorok over there" – he nodded his head to the space in front of Eldin – "there's more room for takeoff there."

"Okay."

Their plan decided Renée, Brent and Mekial separated themselves from Dijonay and Ilia, intending to find the rest of their party.

"Mekial seems like a nice person," Ilia noted as the three left, garnering Dijonay's ear. "And he seems to worry about you a lot."

"Yes." Dijonay smiled in acceptance of the compliment. "I am very lucky to have him."

It didn't take long for all of them to gather up their equipment in preparation of departure, and part of it was because the villagers decided to help as well, mostly by providing them with a few provisions for their trip. But out of all of them Malo's contribution was the greatest: after bringing the argorok to the decided spot in front of the spring, the group met with him outside of his store, where he bestowed upon them some items from his stock that he believed would benefit them.

Unto Brent he bestowed a holder for his Bo Staff, which the Hylian could use to strap the weapon to his back, and he did the same for Dijonay, who had taken one of the soldiers' lances for her own. Both of them accepted these with verbal portrayals of their gratitude.

To Mekial he gave a canteen that was filled with water, telling him that he had noticed the boy manipulating the water in the spring a lot during his stay. With this, he would have his own personal supply of it in case there was no water nearby to use. Renée was given a sturdier strap for her dagger, for the one that she had been using had been worn out. As she and her brother equipped their new accessories, they gave their thanks to the young entrepreneur, just as Brent and Dijonay had.

"And now…" Malo went back to the large sack he had brought from his shop and from it pulled out a large quiver that, with one look, Link knew was holding at least one hundred arrows.

As he pulled the entirety of it out of the bag Malo looked up at the faces before him once more. "…Where's the other girl? Katrina."

Those before him looked between each other, as though expecting to find the girl's face, but when they couldn't they began to scour the village from where they were standing. Mekial was the one who spotted her first and with a pointing of his figure and a quiet, "Over there," he indicated her location to the others.

With her arms folded against the cold, the Corvenian was making her way towards them from the direction of the inn. Upon nearing the assembly her green irises darted to the side and in doing so she met Malo's stare.

Upon meeting her gaze the child held up the quiver as if it was some kind of sacrifice to the gods. "Here. I figured you'd need this."

Katrina stared down at his offering for a moment then reaching down with one hand she grabbed it by the strap. "…Thank you."

"So she does have manners," she overheard Mekial grumble. She fought the urge to shoot him a glower.

Renée looked between them solemnly.

"And to Link…" Malo approached his fellow villager, his expression blank and Link watched him expectantly. The boy paused. "…Don't die."

Link couldn't help but smile to that. "Thanks, Malo."

"And these aren't exactly gifts," the boy went on emotionlessly. "When you get back, I'll be expecting full payment for everything I just gave you."

"Seriously?" Brent frowned.

"Seriously. I'm running a business."

Brent looked over his shoulder at the Bo Staff strapped to his back and then back to Malo. "How much are you charging?"

"None of these things come cheap. It'll run you about nine hundred eighty rupees altogether."

Every one of them winced.

Link whistled. "You really don't play around, do you?"

Malo faced him. "You should know that the best."

"Well, no worries." Brent grinned. "Link'll take care of it."

"Wh –? Me?" Link pointed at himself as the others laughed.

"'Memo to Link'," Renée pretended to write something on the palm of Link's hand, "'stop at bank after kicking Malbex's behind'."

"Still, nine hundred eighty rupees…" Dijonay repeated the number softly. "I am not sure of the currency exchange between our countries, but that is a lot of money, is it not?"

"Yeah." Link's hand dropped to his side once Renée released it. "Come to think of it" – he furrowed his brow as he dropped his gaze to Malo – "Malo practically sucked my wallet dry a little over a year and a half ago, and he wasn't even around!"

"…Oh, the suit?" Malo recalled after a moment. "It did save your life."

"I can't say the same for my wallet."

Malo lowered his eyes in thought and a couple of seconds later released a quiet sigh. "All right. I can see how that much money would be a lot to ask for. Especially from poor people." He barely noticed the string of displeased looks he received at that. "I'll make a deal with you." He pointed at the sky. "I'll pardon your bill if you can clear up those clouds after facing that new emperor, Malbex. But if you fail and somehow wind up back here, then get ready to fork it all over."

"I'd say that's motivation enough to make sure we don't fail," Renée agreed.

"Link!"

Turning, all of them pinpointed Talo racing down the inn porch with the other Ordonian children tagging along behind him.

"Are you…you're really leaving now?" Talo skidded to a halt in front of his idol and role-model, his expression filled with intense anticipation.

Link nodded silently.

"We wanted to see you off," Colin informed him, stopping beside Talo. "Are you guys gonna be okay?"

"Yep!" Mekial answered confidently.

"Just don't get hurt, Link!" Beth piped up. "You have to come back, okay?!"

Link's smiling eyes met hers. "I will."

"You guys haven't left yet?"

At the sound of Midna's voice, all their heads turned to set their sights on the sanctuary, where the ruler was exiting with the Hyrulean generals, ex-soldiers, Princess Zelda and Alexandria. Each army officer was gripping the shackled arms of one of the military traitors, while Midna's bodyguards had a firm grasp on the arms of Alexandria, whose head was bowed with overt misery.

"We're about to," Link returned as they came nearer, their shadows stretching across the road in Eldin's brilliant glow.

"Same here," Bourke said. "Princess Midna was just about to zap us on over to the castle."

"Once there we will set to work on weeding out the remaining soldiers that are loyal to Malbex," Zelda declared. "After that, there will be much repair to take care of in the capital, both with the city and with the people."

"There is no doubting that such a process will take a long time," Regal put in, attracting their eyes, "especially with how few of us there are. However, I have faith that, in time, this country will soon be restored to the way it had once been before all of this began."

"I feel the same," Midna consented with a trace of a smirk. "So, without further ado…"

Gracefully raising her left arm, the sleeve of her black cloak rolled back to show the golden bracelet wrapped around her wrist. A calm wind whispered by, toying with the fabric of her dark robes and soon strengthened to a whirling gust that spiraled around them all.

Then with a crescendo of crackling pops and snaps, the Grell unleashed a blinding glow and its Hand fired out in the form of jagged, blue and white streaks. As always, the thickest of these bolts caught on to an invisible niche in the air and descended fitfully, unzipping a wide, spiraling gateway of unruffled cerulean.

Blasts of wind burst out of the portal as it formed, kicking clouds of dirt into the air and forcing all who faced it to narrow or squint their eyes in a form of self-defense. The only one who didn't react in such a way was Alexandria, who was still blindfolded; though, she did raise her head slightly as her hair lashed around her small frame.

Overhead, the argorok's ears flicked up with the succession of cracks and increases in wind strength, and he inched away from the portal in an effort to ease the pressure being forced against his ears.

"All of you take care of business on your end," Midna called, her red eyes gleaming in the cool glow wafting out of the portal. "I'll make sure that Zelda and the others make it to the castle safely."

"We will be awaiting your return," Zelda said next and her blue eyes shifted to the only native in the group. "And, Link…"

He fixed his eyes upon her.

"Thank you," her lips pulled up in an authentic, appreciative smile that was fueled by so much solace, one could have never guessed at the strain she had gone through in the past few months, "for reminding me that I am not alone in this fight."

Link blinked in surprise at her gratitude, but then loosened up and returned the facial expression.

"All right." Bourke started towards the portal first, firmly gripping the arms of the soldier that he had been assigned. "Good luck to you. Keep up the good work, Eldin!"

After shouting that up to the golden spirit, who merely watched him with unblinking eyes, he passed into the gateway, causing it to emit a brief explosion of white.

"Honestly, it's a _deity _for crying out loud…" Alan murmured, urging his convict through the floating passage next. Regal followed with his, nodding to the others, and then Drake did the same. Sending the group one final, resolute look Princess Zelda followed suit.

After she vanished, Midna slid a pair of serious eyes to her bodyguards and nodded her head at the wind source. Understanding her silent order the Twili hoisted Alexandria up so that she could no longer slouch and began a soundless procession to the Grell portal.

"W…wait!"

Alexandria's voice nearly cracked, for that word had been the first she had uttered in days, and she began to try and squirm her way out of the Twili's firm hold. "Please…!"

Seeing that Midna was observing the girl with interest the Twili halted, though did not unhinge their grasp.

"Please…" the woman begged again, her pale brow creasing along with her hidden eyebrows, "Master… Master Malbex…"

Midna's eyes narrowed, but she didn't open her mouth to interrupt.

"Please…please, save him…!" The Twili's fingers dug into Alexandria's skin as she worked to face those standing near the dragon, hoping against hope that she was at least attempting to look in the right direction. "Please…he's hurting now – and he's been hurting for so long… So, please…" By light of the portal, a lone tear managed to slip down her pale, grimy cheek. "Please, save him…"

She sniffed quietly, still unsure if her pleading had even been heard. But she never got the chance to find out, for only a few seconds after she had spoken did Midna nod her head to the portal once again, ordering for her soldiers to take the woman away.

Without a word of objection they did so and disappeared in a blast of white light.

Once they were gone Midna refaced everyone, her arms crossed and her crimson eyes having narrowed with severity. "…Good luck."

Then she, too, entered the portal and vanished. Barely a second later, the wormhole spun shut with a shrill whistle and the winds it had once conjured immediately died away.

Link exchanged soundless looks with those that were around him and approached the argorok. Once close enough he patted one of its scaly arms and at his touch, the beast lowered enough for him to climb on.

As Link moved away Talo shifted in a way to imply that he wanted to trail after him. But when Colin's hand came up in front of him, he stopped, albeit reluctantly.

"…Katrina." Renée placed a hand on the Corvenian's shoulder just as she made to follow the others. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Katrina seemed to mull the request over for a moment before rounding to face her. "What?"

"I know you've kind of had a grudge against us for the past few days," Renée began, unfazed by Katrina's sharp attitude, "maybe even since we all came to this country. But…I want you to remember we're all on the same side."

Katrina's eyes fell away.

"We're going to run into Malbex while we're away," the girl continued after accepting Katrina's silence, "and Morbex. …And Tentra." She ignored the tensing of Katrina's form. "They're strong. And I don't think we'll be able to get through any of this if you and my brother are forming a rift. …Maybe you're not affected by something like that," Renée forced herself to continue when Katrina still didn't react, "but I know my brother. He doesn't function well when he's angry. So, at least for now…do you think you can at least try to get along with him?"

Still, Katrina didn't respond and so Renée figured that she should attempt to address the cause of her lingering resentment. "As far as what he said to you in Dijonay's room…"

But she trailed off, unsure how to continue.

"He just doesn't understand," Katrina finally spoke, realizing that Renée had stopped speaking. "And I don't think any of you get what it's like to see your family _killed_ right in front of you, and then to have someone pity the murderers."

"…But, Ruheart didn't kill your family," Renée pointed out after a moment.

"But she worked with the one who did." Katrina's narrow eyes swiveled to fasten on her.

Renée held Katrina's harsh glare for a second before relenting with an averting of her dark gaze. "…I lost my parents to the ocean," she confessed softly, "when they were going to visit family. …I wanted to hate everything when they were gone, from the crew members for not preparing for a storm to the people that said it was just bad luck."

The shadows that had crossed her face receded and once again Katrina directed her eyes to the side. "Sometimes, Katrina, I feel like that's where you're at. You just feel like you're at odds with everything and everyone because of what's been taken from you." She paused, waiting to see if Katrina would respond and when she didn't, Renée chose to continue.

"When my father was alive, he told me that a day would come where my brother and I would only have each other. And that was something that the two of us would have to make the most of. …I doubt I can try to imagine what you've gone through, Katrina. But, I also don't think you need to take it out on us. We're all trying to get the same thing, here."

Still, Katrina voiced no response.

Renée took a small step back and glanced over Katrina's shoulder at nothing. "…That's all."

With an evanescent look in Renée's direction Katrina turned her back and headed towards the argorok. Renée watched her and with a stab of irritation felt as if she had completely wasted her time.

"Take care of those items," Malo was calling up to them as Renée climbed onto the argorok's back with Brent's help. "They're expensive."

"Don't worry, Malo," Link assured.

"If you all run into Morbex," Colin started hesitantly, "I…I hope that you're able to make up with him. For whatever it was that happened between you."

Link clenched his jaw and forced a nod of agreement.

"And, Link…" He turned his eyes to Ilia's when she spoke next. "All of you… Come back safely."

"We'll be back." Link tipped his chin. "I promise."

Leaning forward, he patted the dragon's neck and it twisted its head to view him. Then with a roar of his own farewell the beast spread his large, webbed wings and with a single motion, rocketed into the black overcast and out of sight.

* * *

**See you March 29th! ;D Teehee.**


	23. Chapter 23

**So, I'm back! Forty-five minutes before Good Friday ends!**

**Firstly, I'd like to say I'm almost done with this story/epic novel! lol**

**I'm so PUMPEDD I'm so CLOSEE...! 8'D**

**After I have everything finished, updates will switch from every 1st and 3rd Friday to every Friday! Along with that, I'm debating whether or not to post little Fun-Facts at the start of each chapter, just because. Would you guys like that?**

**Anyway, on with the journey and happy Easter to you all!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

The already cold temperature of the darkened lands plummeted in the sky, and though the argorok was unaffected, a numbing sensation quickly rushed through his passengers.

To cope with it, Mekial created miniature balls of fire to fly alongside each of them, which quickly warmed their freezing limbs. But not even their warmth could keep the group from wishing they had brought the cloaks they had worn to Snowpeak.

Regardless of their desires the group managed to keep from complaining and with their eyes narrowed, they kept their heads bowed against the pummeling winds, eagerly awaiting the hour when the gales would die and they would once again be able to feel solid land beneath their feet.

Later, Brent peeked over the argorok's side to see if he could spot anything below. Much to his expectation, all he could make out were the shadows of hills and countryside. It wasn't until much later did he manage to perceive the distant roaring of a waterfall.

He wondered if Link or Katrina could hear the noise, but he didn't see much point in asking. All he did do was try to guess where they were at that moment and he soon concluded they were probably passing over Lake Hylia, for he remembered seeing a small waterfall near their rest stop before going into the desert.

With a sudden peaking in the argorok's speed Brent huddled against its spiky spine and silently voiced his thanks for the small fire that was still zipping beside him. He wasn't sure of the mechanics behind sorcery, but he figured that Mekial's ability to keep the small flames going was a blend of talent and the strength-enhancing stone embedded in his skull.

Movement suddenly drew Brent's focus to the left, just above his hovering flame. His already thinned eyes scrunched a bit more as he peered in that dark direction but then he faced away, and tightened his grasp on the dragon's spine.

_Just a cloud._

No sooner had that thought manifested did his pointy ears pick up a distant, high-pitched hissing that he couldn't identify. For a split second he aligned the noise with that of a speeding Hover Board but he quickly dismissed it, knowing there was no way any of the members of the Hylian Rights Groups would be flying over these dark lands.

But if it wasn't a Hover Board, then what –

Before he could even complete that thought something whizzed past him, close enough for him to hear a long and gravelly snarl.

Mekial straightened up upon hearing the same exact sound and fixed his eyes on Brent when he overheard him swear irritably.

"I think we've got company!" he cried over the roaring winds and hearing his words if not faintly, everyone else sat up.

Mekial extended a hand in front of him, chanting the verses of one of his many memorized incantations. As the words of the foreign language slid off his tongue the small balls of fire amassed in front of his open palm, their combining flames lashing in the raging winds.

At the completion of the spell Mekial aimed his hand skyward and following the motion, the fireball roared into the heavens. Once it reached a certain altitude, it erupted into a grand display of harmonious reds and oranges that set the entire skyline ablaze.

As the flames erupted to tint the world with their fiery hues the group looked around and pinpointed the black outlines of ten Shadows flying alongside them, their cloaks flapping in the high winds as they rushed to keep up with the speeding dragon.

"Yep, we've got company!" Mekial confirmed.

The flaming lights from his spell lingered like lightning in a thunderstorm, reflecting off the surface of the billowing clouds and with their help Link's eyes panned across the surrounding monsters. Then, steeling himself, he lifted a hand and grasped the hilt of his sword.

"Link!" Brent hollered when he spotted the Hyrulean steadily rising to his feet. "What're you doing?!"

Link ignored him, gripping the Master Sword as tightly as possible whilst bracing himself on the argorok's back with only his feet and free hand. Then, he uttered one of the only words of Eldonese that he could suddenly remember – the single word that he knew Morbex to have repeatedly shouted every time he had told the argorok to land: "_Pa, deui-ch!"_

The argorok's golden eyes widened and with a heavy, upward movement of its great wings, it tipped its head and arched its back.

Wind storming through his ears and colliding into his front Link raced up the spine of the argorok and jumped onto the apex of its neck, where his knees buckled in preparation. At the same time the dragon ducked into a nose dive and Link jumped off, firing himself into the air with sword and shield drawn and the sound of someone below yelling his name in fading horror.

Spotting his rising figure the Shadows streaked towards him, hands outstretched, and all around them the world soundlessly blackened with the dying of Mekial's light. With the return of darkness, everything became perfectly still.

Then there was a flash of silver – a light that dazzled with holy brilliance – and Link's voice tore through the quiet, sounding at a powerful yell that detonated from the pit of his being.

The silver light swung in an ascending spiral, broad, magnificent, washing through the black clouds and piercing the bodies of every last Shadow that had lunged towards it, cleaving them into two halves that instantly vanished without a trace.

The shimmering glow that had erupted from the Master Sword dimmed as the black monsters disappeared and if only for a second, Link's menacing eyes caught sight of a loitering illumination somewhere above him:

Stars.

With his fierce expression disappearing he stared up at the twinkling lights for the only instant they existed, and as the black clouds shifted to blot them out again his body tilted back until he was perpendicular to his direction of descent.

With his clothes flapping and hair whipping, he carefully craned his neck back so that he could see what was beneath him: there was nothing but a pit of darkness.

Unfazed, he closed his eyes serenely and whispered one word against the wind: the only other one that Morbex had continuously uttered.

From beneath his head he heard it: the whooshing of heavy wings, the animalistic snort – then, the fearsome cry of a monster.

Something grabbed him by the collar and immediately the argorok leveled out; at the same time an invisible force pressed against him, easing his crash and sparing his spine, and when he opened his eyes again he found that he was leaning against one of the argorok's spikes.

"_You!"_

He sat up, almost surprised that nothing hurt, and twisted his neck to see who had screamed at him. By the light Mekial had probably conjured only a few moments ago, he saw that it was Renée.

"You are an _idiot!"_ she fumed, her hand still on his collar. She threw him out of her hold. "…But, that was actually kind of incredible."

"Kind of?!" Mekial blurted out from his seat in front of Link. "What _was_ that?! I thought your sword was _normal!"_

"This…" Link held up the weapon that was still tightly grasped in his left hand, as if it was an extension of his arm, "isn't a normal sword."

Mekial's eyes bulged. "That's –!"

"Since when did you get that?!" Renée exclaimed, recognizing the sword from the legends she had been told back in Taranis.

"We stopped to get it after seeing the Fairy," Dijonay informed them from behind Renée. "Midna believed that we would need it."

"Then, she couldn't have been more right," Renée thought aloud, watching as Link tucked the sword back into its sheath. "You knew that would all work out?"

"Um…well…" Link wrapped an arm around the argorok's spike. "I hoped it would."

Renée's face fell.

"Hey – is this it?"

At Mekial's inquiry all of them faced forward to find what he was implying. Less than a few miles out a large, well-lit citadel was nestled at the base of a tall mountain. Bright lights glimmered above the paved streets to illuminate the way for any that might be up at that hour, and closer to the mountain an enormous and extravagant building climbed into the sky. Like the city below it was beautifully lit, and with its gothic towers and wondrously carved capitols and spires, it was easily recognizable.

Link's darkened eyes never left the looming Palace of Albaan. "Yeah," he said.

_This is it._


	24. Chapter 24

**I realized that by posting Chapter 23 on March 29th, I kinda messed up my scheduling for how often I meant to update. Chapter 23 should've been posted on the first Friday of April (today), not the last Friday of March - but, since it wasn't my typical double-feature, I figured I'd cut myself some slack and let it be a little in-betweener/teaser kind of chapter.**

**So starting today, the FIRST FRIDAY OF APRIL, things will be back to normal. So the next update after this is NOT APRIL 12th - instead, it's April 19th! Thank you!**

**I've also decided to save the Fun Facts for the end ;D**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

He had to be eight years old.

With his chin pressed into his forearms, he leaned against the railing of his bedroom balcony, watching as the sun sank beneath the twilit mountains. So intensely was he focused on that sight, so lost was he in the idea of what may lie beyond those jagged peaks that he barely noticed when a steady, evening wind brushed by, sifting through his short silver hair to tickle his brow.

He had to be eight years old.

"Master Malbex?"

The boy barely diverted his attention from the reddening sky when the servant stuck his face into the room. Rather, he raised his head, lifted a hand and rested his chin in his palm.

"Your Highness, I have brought you a visitor."

That seemed to arouse a little of the boy's interest and he turned his head just enough to be able to see the palace nursery out of the side of his eye. Even with this limited view he could see his younger brother snoozing on his mattress, his round face tranquil with slumber, and the pale, oval countenance of the servant in the doorway.

Upon catching Malbex's eye the servant opened the door wider and stepped inside, then gestured for someone behind him to do the same.

Accepting that offer that someone did: with slow, casual steps a tall man strode in, smiling emptily as he turned his head to observe the prince's living quarters. His even, white hair, caught in the fiery light from outside, fell to his shoulders and his hands were clasped behind his back as he looked around. Soon, his eyes landed on Malbex.

"Your Highness, this is Tentra Durkhamis," the servant explained. "The King has appointed him to be your new caretaker and instructor."

Malbex's face did little to betray any feelings he had about the announcement. He only held Tentra's gaze, his face still cupped in his hand as he leaned against the balcony railing.

He had to be eight years old.

* * *

"…The Outside?"

"That's what I said." Malbex's voice was tense, his body rigid. Tall and averagely built, he glared at nothing while Tentra sat at one of the tables of the palace archive, an open book laid before him.

Though already as stubborn and aggressive as his father was when it came to decisions, the adolescent prince still had an obvious childishness about him, as if he had yet to truly cross into his teenage years: his cheeks were still a little round and his deep red eyes, no matter how many times he narrowed them, couldn't retain that slim shape naturally. Along with that, his voice was still high and boyish.

"I talked to Kelvis about his homeland," the prince went on. "He has to be from the Outside. I'm sure of it."

Tentra examined him carefully. "You don't seem as excited about the Outside as you used to be."

"Because it's real!" the prince burst, his voice barely bouncing off of the high, circular walls of the library. "And Father is so scared to tell me _anything_ about it! It's a miracle that I can even get alone with Kelvis to ask him about anything!"

Tentra smiled, and it bothered Malbex for some reason. "Why do you think that is?"

"Because he's a _coward_," Malbex snarled immediately. "Whenever I bring it up, Father never listens to me! He'd rather hear about my brother and how he aced all of his studies, _again!"_

His emotions mounting Malbex broke off at that, his eyes melting with envy as he battled to subdue himself. It was a long while before he regained control.

"If I become king," he growled, sinking into the seat across from Tentra, "I'll make sure I connect Eldonis to the Outside. We can't be stuck here forever." He could feel himself tremble at the thought of living in Eldonis for the rest of his life, caged in by the rows of mountains encircling the country, and he ground his teeth. "_I _can't be stuck here forever…"

"What about the Pact?"

"Don't talk to me about that stupid Pact!" he exploded, nailing his instructor with a livid stare. "You've told me enough times! _Pact,"_ he spat it out. "I _hate_ that word! It's the very thing that's kept me here – kept you here – even Kelvis…!"

His anger suddenly subsided when he noticed something change in Tentra's face. He was smiling again but it was different this time: disquieting.

"My, my, Prince Malbex…" His smile widened and his very eyes seemed to transform. But even though it was so disturbing, Malbex couldn't look away. "I think you've got a very good idea on your mind. Why don't you try to do something about it?"

Malbex's resentment instantly returned, snapping him out of his trance. "You _know _why: if Father were to find out about my wanting to go to the Outside, I'd be banished! Then Morbex would get the throne."

"Would he?" The red of Tentra's eyes seemed to alter…somehow… "Would he…really…"

Gradually the man's words began to drift in and out of clarity and his face started to fade, retreating into the long-lost memories of the past.

Finally the entire scene fell away, drowning into the pool of unconsciousness.

* * *

Malbex's eyelids fluttered and his face twitched. Then his bright, scarlet eyes flipped open, granting him a view of his draping bed canopy.

As his awareness levels peaked a strange feeling nagged at him, working to help him remember something he had recently remembered and just as recently had forgotten. Was it a dream?

He shrugged it off – it didn't matter. There were more important things that he had to worry about.

As he slid out of his large bed, the silky coverings and blankets slipping off of his slender form, he went through a list of the topics that were no doubt going to be brought up at the council meeting later that morning: first was the issue of the merchants needing a more reliable way of conducting their businesses since, according to Morbex, they were complaining about their inability to travel; then there was the problem of farmers unable to sow any seeds because the land was rough and unfertile; next was that better roads needed to be built in order to connect the capital to other nearby towns –

But if he were to try that the workers might be compromised by Shadows…

He stopped at that irksome thought. Though he was aware that the Shadows more or less lost control of themselves in unyielding darkness, he hadn't been properly prepared for it. Now, their mere presence was a nuisance and a hindrance even more so: in every community under his rule the inhabitants were fearful of those creatures, and were allowing that fear to be detrimental to their work.

Many merchants and farmers couldn't fulfill their duties, and it was mostly due to reports that had been released during the first few weeks of New Eldonis' existence. During that time, people claimed that caravans and even regular travelers had been attacked, injured or killed by Shadows – survivors even went on to say they had seen the monsters in their uncloaked appearance and described them as the resurrected form of an ancient monster known as a "ReDead".

Seated on the edge of his fancily dressed mattress Malbex leaned forward and rubbed his face with a hand, trying to organize all of this information into simpler categories so that he could figure out a way to properly handle them. Almost instantly, he identified one sole fact that they were linked by:

The absence of the sun.

Of course, that was a problem in and of itself. Yet, Malbex at least understood that if he could somehow bring the sun back, then everything else would become that much easier: farmers would return to work, roads could be built, merchants could travel again…

The very idea of trying to confront such an issue had disturbed him before but, as time passed, he had gradually come to accept that it was no longer something he could ignore. Though, learning how and why the clouds had arrived would probably be the best thing to do for now.

And he knew just who to ask.

Without alerting any of his servants that he had awoken, the emperor garbed himself in a dressing of freshly clean robes and topped it off with the gold crowned hat that was traditionally worn by Albaanian kings. Then with a sweeping of his cloak, he departed his quarters and entered the great, rib vaulted hallways beyond.

As always the corridors were eerily hushed, allowing the clopping of his shoes to ricochet off the marble walls. Only a few times did he cross paths with a servant, who would bow cordially with a polite greeting before asking if he needed anything. He declined each of their offers calmly and eloquently, and in acceptance of his answer they would bow again and wouldn't rise until he had made some considerable distance.

With his personal chambers being on the uppermost level of the palace's western wing, it didn't take Malbex much time to reach his destination, which was the middle of a long and wide bridge that connected each wing to the central tower. Here he turned to pass through the massive archway that opened up to the tower's stairwell.

Like the archway that stood before it the staircase was wide and grand, and with the lighting that shone from ostentatious wall scones it looked like the steps were made of gold. They were also divided into two sets, with the one on the right spiraling down for easy access to the lower levels, while the one on the left wound up to the throne room.

With his gait unchanging Malbex climbed the stairs on the left, his flowing robes fluttering around his heels, and at the top he continued towards a pair of tall, jade-colored doors. Once close he freed his arms from his flowing dress and pushed them apart, creating a dull moan that accompanied him as he entered the room beyond.

Unlike the rooms previous, sparkling chandeliers or lanterns in the walls didn't light this chamber. Instead, it was faintly illuminated by two sources, one of which was a white, stained glass lancet window. Despite its low strength it still managed to catch the green rug that spanned the tiled floor from the door to the throne, which was situated atop a two-stair platform in the center of the room.

The second light was a greater one, exuding a warm, golden glow from its midair position. As Malbex neared, it lowered itself of its own accord, blanketing its brilliance across the throne platform and forcing Malbex's eyes to constrict as he came closer. When it ceased its descent he, too, ceased his approach and scowled up at it.

As he had expected, after making his wish with this particular light it had remained with him, though it barely did more than float around. As such Malbex had decided to bring it to the throne room, and in fact on the very day he had done so had learned that the spiritual item was sentient and could converse with him, even answer some of his questions.

However, it seemed to be picky about when it spoke and when it didn't, which soon led to Malbex's neglecting its existence and instead seeking advice from other, more human entities. But now, he was sure that there was no human that could answer his present inquiry.

With his jaw set he tightened his fists, glaring at the Triforce as he tried to figure out a way to phrase his query so as to avoid any unnecessary headaches. But by the time he felt he had the correct wording, the holy object lifted its voice to address him first, "You have returned."

Its powerful tone, reaching to fill every space and corner of the throne room, was genderless and empty, and yet somehow Malbex sensed that it was hinting at some unannounced statement.

He took a small step forward, making it so he was facing the relic fully. "You knew I would be coming?"

"It was only a matter of time," the bodiless voice replied serenely, its light fluctuating with its speech. It paused. "…You are in need of something."

"I have a question."

"Ask."

"Why is it that the clouds have gradually thickened?" Malbex demanded, slanting his posture with another forward step. "And how can I clear them away?"

The answer was so blunt that Malbex was stunned by it, "You cannot clear them."

Regaining composure, he felt the muscles in his face tighten. "Why is that?"

"You are lacking in purity," the reverberating voice responded. "You do not have the heart to clear the skies."

Malbex took a second to swallow his frustration before it could amount to something greater. "Why not?"

"Perhaps if you were more like the pair that had owned me previous," the Triforce started and Malbex's blood boiled, "this land would not be shrouded in darkness. Yet, you are more like my longest wielder, with a heart just as black: that one whose angry spirit managed to seep out of me on mere contact."

The emperor's rage spilled over at the comparison but trembling, he managed to restrain it just enough in order to properly articulate his next sentence. "Do not balance me against the dead," he growled lowly. "But if what you say is true, then I command that you clear the skies in my name."

"I cannot."

"Why not?!"

"I have already granted your wish to erect this empire," the Triforce answered simply. "Are you not grateful? Was this empire not easy to build because of me?"

"If you can't do anything else, then why do you linger here?" Malbex demanded, his patience speedily wearing thin.

Much to his irritation the object didn't utter a reply. Seething, Malbex's nails curled into his palms and he stepped forward to make another remark. But he was almost instantly distracted by the interruption of something that was abnormal for the halls below.

Sound.

Freezing, Malbex peeked over at the open doors of the throne room. After tossing a dark glower at the Triforce, he hurried through them.

As he descended the glimmering stairs the noises he had heard spiked in pitch, allowing him to differentiate them as clanking armor and the raised voices of soldiers. At the base of the steps he hastened to the large archway and there stopped when one of the silver knights nearly crashed into him.

"What's going on?" he demanded of the warrior, the din of soldiers and sprinting metal feet resounding off the walls in the background.

"Your Excellency!" The soldier straightened up and saluted, clapping his spear to his side and an arm over his breastplate. "We're under attack, Sir!"

Malbex's earlier fury reclaimed him. "By who?!"

"We're not sure, Sir! But some of the guards on the western fields have reported strange noises from the northern wing. Whatever it is, Your Highness, it's probably very dangerous – with all due respect, I urge you to stay inside!"

Malbex's glare left the knight as another group of soldiers rushed by. Wordlessly he watched them depart and then he took off after them, ignoring the calls of the soldier that had seen fit to give him a warning.

With his robes flapping behind him Malbex trailed after the guards, following them at a safe distance so that they wouldn't turn around and try to send him back from whence he had come. After hastening down a number of hallways and staircases he soon broke free of their trail and passed through the entrance hall, easing his run to a solid march as he approached the front gates of the palace.

One wave of his hand forced the thick barriers to swing open, permitting a gust of cold air to invade. Undisturbed beneath the warmth of his layered garments Malbex strode into the frosty air, his breath now escaping him in small clouds of white mist, and there he stopped a few feet before the stairs descended to the sloping bridge.

This was the north side, he was sure of it – but where were the noises that the soldier had spoken of?

As if on cue an abrupt, ground-shaking roar erupted from the darkness somewhere on his left, rattling his eardrums. Instinctively he ducked down and blocked his ears, letting the vocal detonation pass over him, and when it ended he whipped his eyes to the left and darted to the stone railing, gripping it with his pale hands and leaning forward to see if he could find where the cry was sourced.

Within moments his eyes adjusted to the shadowy landscape and he identified the forms of his soldiers throwing their spears or javelins upwards. Their actions were better identified by the blasts of magic that nearby mages conjured and following their trajectory, Malbex soon found what they were fighting.

Even with most of its form guarded by shadow Malbex knew the demonic creature was massive, due to the sound of its heavily beating wings and the depth of its grumbling voice. With every grunt it emitted its yellow eyes flashed and its barbed tail swung in and out sight, thwacking the soldiers' weapons off course or leading the warriors to duck down in defense.

When the soldiers had done this for the fourth time the monster dropped its elongated jaw and with a loud cry unleashed a whirling storm of flames, setting the grounds ablaze in fiery glory. Some of the soldiers managed to get to safety while others weren't as fortunate, their cries of anguish skyrocketing as the flames melted their armor and tore at their flesh.

Malbex cringed, his stomach burbling, and in a flash the argorok's golden eyes found him, glinting brightly in stark contrast to the darkness.

With its eyes upon his distant figure the argorok's lips curled back with a rumbling, toothy snarl. Beneath it the fire it had released danced across the dry grass, emboldening the ferocity of its scaly features. After an eternity it let loose a ferocious hiss and dropped into the field, tearing its eyes away from the emperor.

The earth quaked when it landed and as if that charged his memory Malbex suddenly recalled that he had seen the beast before: it had been months prior to this day, probably not too soon after New Eldonis had been established.

But back then it had retreated rather quickly. Now it was lingering, as if it was seeking vengeance against this place.

But why would it do that?

The argorok screamed again and charged the soldiers with another wave of fire. Gritting his teeth, Malbex raised a hand and snapped his fingers; beside him, small tendrils of darkness weaved into existence.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

"He's fast."

Her pointy ears tingling, Katrina angled her head back to the others, who were gathered in the side lane they had just entered. Only right after disembarking the argorok at the edge of the city they had all made their way here, their path crossed by a few individual Albaanians that barely spared them a second glance.

"We'll have to be the same." Link kept his eyes fixated on the mountain that the citadel was established beneath, and there he could just barely make out the silhouette of the palace as well as the faint reflection of flickering, orange light.

Leveling his eyes with the road he spotted a few citizens up ahead taking note of the distant glow but, unsure of what it could be, they dismissed it with either a turning of their heads or a short exchange of gossip between nearby companions.

Recalling the aerial view of the city he had had before disembarking the argorok, Link reclaimed the lead, tracing the route he had pinpointed from the sky and matching it with their present location. Based on his observances from above the road to the church was little more than a straight path, so he presumed they would be upon it soon.

Their way illuminated by the tall, white streetlamps that lined the street, Link's prediction was soon fulfilled: by following the unbending road they came upon the central plaza, which he remembered as having been built right before the church.

The streetlamps and grey, brick houses spread to ring around this circular area and three other roads broke off of it to stretch back into the citadel. In the very center of the square a gargantuan statue stood, carved to resemble a young, curly-haired king with one hand on his hip and the other clasping a long sword. In the plaque beneath his boots his name was engraved, but not one member of the group saw fit to journey forth and learn what it was.

Like the roads before only a handful of people were milling about this area, ambling along in small groups or in solitude. Peering beyond them, Renée pointed to a spot behind the statue. "Over there."

Following her aim, they marked the distant outline of a cathedral that shadowed the other buildings.

"Is that it?" Brent asked, his eyebrows rising.

"That is it," Dijonay confirmed.

Link whistled. "It's huge…"

"The Church of Our Lady?" A hunchbacked, elderly male citizen looked up at them through squinted eyes, and then turned to look at it over his shoulder. "Yes, it is a beauty – funded by the Lady Herself, Nayru rest her soul. Travelers used to come from all over, making pilgrimages to that place." He peered up at them. "Are you all going there for a pilgrimage yourselves?"

"Something like that," Renée said.

"It does this old man glad to see such youngsters traveling across perilous lands for such a thing as this." His face was further wrinkled by a kind smile. "May your days be prosperous from here on out."

"Thank you." Dijonay smiled politely and tipping his head, the senior citizen started away.

"That was nice of him," Renée noted.

"Nicely random," Katrina remarked.

"C'mon; we don't have much time." Link advanced first and together they circled around the monument and towards the church.

Boasting a large, ornately decorated portal with a rose window above the central doorway, the Church of Our Lady Grenich was wide for its height, and attached to both sides of its front were two tall, flat-roofed towers with pointed arch windows. Like the plaza, the street that encircled the cathedral was lined with streetlamps, small homes, apartments and stores and just a little off-center was another black marble statue, though much smaller than the last. Rather than a king, this one depicted a young woman of noble stature, with long, wavy hair and a flowing gown.

Once again taking no heed of the name beneath the statue's feet, the group hastened towards the looming gates of the church and after pushing the doors agape, they walked inside.

Standing within the interior of the building, they all paused to take in its internal magnificence, their eyes roving from the high-vaulted, tierceron rib ceiling to the massive drum columns that were attached. Rows and rows of pews ran the length of the nave to reach the flamboyant chancel screen, and all around a tawny light glowed, flowing from sources that couldn't be identified.

Renée's eyes were wide as she surveyed the setup. "Whoa."

"It is…much more beautiful than I had imagined…" Dijonay took a couple of steps forth, and the sound of her feet rebounded off the high walls to resound all around them.

"How do we look for the way to the catacombs in all this?" Mekial spread his arms in a gesture of the church's massive interior.

"We'll have to fan out," Link decided, looking around. "We can cover more ground that way."

"Good luck to us," Renée mumbled, wandering down the nave as she twisted her head this way and that to take in the design of her surroundings. Behind her, the others also spread out.

Mekial went to the left, walking beneath the buttresses that linked the broad columns to the outer walls. Not particularly sure where to look he sent his gaze from side to side, hands in his pockets. With a nonchalant air he strode by one of the decorative recesses in the wall and a few paces away froze in mid-step. Hastily, he backtracked.

Leaning close to the dusty surface of the indentation, he knit his brow as he squinted at a series of peculiar markings that ran along its surface. Within seconds his eyes grew tired of trying to read through the grimy film and so, bunching his cloak around his hand, he wiped it away.

As the words beneath became apparent he began to read them as easily as he would a regular book, but then he doubled back and re-read it. Then, realizing he could actually read it, he let out a cry of shock.

He looked away and called out to the one nearest to him. "Brent!"

"What?" Brent turned away from his examination of a section of the wall further ahead.

"C'mere! I can read this!"

"Well, I never pegged you as being illiterate."

"No, I mean – this is written in Ancient Arkanian!"

"What?" Brent hurried forward and leaned down in order to properly view what Mekial was so excited about.

A split second later he, too, read the inscription and with a speedy, mental translation, he turned his eyes to the edges of the recess. Running his hands along it he found a small, barely noticeable niche in the stone and after re-reading the message printed across the wall, he pushed against a tile hidden within it.

At that instant the recess sank in and away from his hands, then slid off to the side to reveal a dark stairway, its deep shadows flickering against the brick walls beneath crackling torches.

"Uh, guys!" Brent called over his shoulder, his eyes still fastened on the opening. "I think we found something."

Link was the first to arrive and he shortly studied the descending steps. "Is this the way to the catacombs?"

"Looks like it…" Mekial took a couple of steps forward and angled his body so that he could see further down the stairs. Then he took a deep breath. "Echo!"

_Echo!_

_Echo…!_

_Echo…!_

"Mekial!" Both Brent and Link hissed and with a start he whirled around, wide-eyed.

"What're you doing?" Brent whispered, more surprised than he was angry.

"I just wanted to see if it echoed!"

"Hello?"

At the sound of the unfamiliar voice all three of them looked up; Brent and Link specified their view to the end of a corridor that was perpendicular to the buttressed aisle they were standing in.

Mekial winced. "Oops."

"Is someone out there?" The voice, male, was getting closer and soon even Mekial could hear his approaching footsteps.

"C'mon!" Waving his hand for Renée, Dijonay and Katrina to hasten over, Link ducked into the tunnel. Brent and Mekial hurried in after him and the girls quickly did the same. Once they had all slipped inside the door of the tunnel slid back into place, leaving the sanctuary as still as it had been before.

"Hello?" A priest walked out of the connecting corridor only seconds later, searching the nave for any potential visitors. "Is someone here to pray?"

Discovering the place to be completely empty he frowned and scratched the back of his head in confusion.

"You nearly got us caught," Brent sighed, one hand over his face as they walked single-file down the narrow steps, the wall torches flickering vigorously as they passed.

"Sorry…" Mekial scratched his cheek and looked over his shoulder at him.

"We're trying to infiltrate a palace," Link put in, turning his chin to the side. "You probably should've thought of that."

Mekial huffed. "Oh, I'm sure you can tell me all about thinking, mister jump-off-a-dragon-and-hope-it-all-works-out."

"I'm serious."

The boy clicked his tongue.

"Let us just be glad that the doorway closed behind us," Dijonay diffused from the rear. "No one should be able to follow us now."

"And we might not be able to get out." As he said this Link came to the bottom of the stairs and took a few steps forward before stopping, his path now blocked by a heavy slab of stone. Mekial slipped around him in order to get a better view of the barrier, while the others simply halted on the steps.

"Hey, wait." Mekial inched closer to the wall. "I think there's something written on it."

Heeding his words, Link took another close look at the wall and then, removing one of the crackling torches from its holder, he stepped forward so that the inscription could be better illuminated. Once the dancing flames had been brought closer they caught the engraved sentence, as well as a drawing that was located above it.

The illustration was of a two-ringed circle with three tiny triangles positioned above it, almost like a trio of eyelashes. But what caught Link's attention the most was the gem-shaped hole in the center of the smaller ring, which appeared as if it doubled as both an eye's pupil and a holder of some sort; boosting this latter theory was what looked like half a red stone embedded in the socket.

"It's more Ancient Arkanian," Mekial observed, peering at the words. There were only three, each made of one or two Arkanian letters, and were evenly spaced by little diamond shaped etches.

"What's it say?" Link asked.

"_Ka…Noh…Vah,_" the boy read.

"What does that mean?"

"_Ka noh vah… Ka no-vah…" _Mekial frowned as he fished through his memories for where he had heard the idiom before. Upon recollecting it, his eyes lit up. "It's an old blessing. It was what Arkanians used to say to each other before they left home to go on some kind of trip. Or when they got back from one."

"It's like a very formal way of saying 'have a safe trip' and 'welcome back'," Renée clarified.

"And this…" Link drew the torch closer to the drawing that was above the words.

"No idea…" Renée paused to study the image. "But that stone in it looks broken."

"Yeah…" Link stared at the little rock distractedly before realization dawned on him. "Wait a minute."

Reaching back, he dug his hand into his belt pouch and pulled something out in his fist. As he unraveled his fingers to show what it was, Mekial looked from it to the stone in the wall and his eyes flashed with understanding.

"You gonna connect them?"

"Might as well try."

That said Link reached up and pushed the jagged edge of the small, red gemstone that he had into the notched side of the rock in the wall, wiggling it into place until at last it fit into the lower half of the indentation. With a spark of red light the ragged parts of the two halves sealed together.

Then the entire thing popped right out of the wall.

Moving reflexively Link's hand went up to catch the rock and he watched the familiar orange light pulsate inside of it like a beating heart.

"Huh." Link looked at Brent when he spoke. "Good thing we didn't throw it into Snowpeak."

Renée smirked. "And you thought I was weird for grabbing it out of that monster graveyard."

"It kinda is still weird in hindsight," Brent admitted with a trace of wit.

Right when Renée made to retort, a powerful thudding rocked the walls of the stairway. Jolting, all of them looked at the stone door to find streams of dirt spilling from the head of its frame. Even as the soil rained to the earth the entire barrier began to ascend, showing the path of absolute darkness that resided beyond it. As the open door locked into place with a thunderous boom, Link tilted to face the tunnel head-on.

"I wonder if it's really haunted," Mekial thought aloud.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Link said and feeling strange warmth in his right hand, he looked down to see that the red stone he was carrying was giving off a faint, orange glow. Clasping it in his fist, he raised his eyes to the passage once again. "Let's go." He marched forward.

"Dijonay?" Renée turned her face to the girl upon hearing her release a faint whimper; at the same time, the cloud of fog that had blanketed Dijonay's irises began to dissipate.

Sensing Renée's eyes on her, Dijonay glanced in her direction and then viewed the passage with swelling dismay. Her jaw pumped soundlessly for a second before she found her voice. "Please wait!"

Link, one foot already in the passageway, shifted his eyes to her, as did the others.

"I believe…we must tread carefully," Dijonay informed them, her eyes still fixed on the dark route tunneling ahead. "I am uncertain of the details, but I do not have a good feeling about this place. It is old and may be unstable."

"Well, we can't turn back now," Link reminded her.

"I understand…" Dijonay lowered her eyes dismally. "But, please – we must be careful."

"You Saw something?" Renée asked.

Dijonay nodded.

"Then we'll take your word for it." Brent looked at Mekial. "And no more looking for echoing hallways."

"Yeah…"

"C'mon. We need to hurry." Once again Link refaced the tunnel and without a breath of hesitation, he plunged inside.

* * *

**Next: April 19th.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hey guys! I hope you're all well, especially if you live in the Boston (U.S.) area after everything that's been happening this week. Stay safe!**

**In other news, I was getting really close to the ending of this story but then my flash drive decided to freak out and erase everything -_-. Fortunately enough I had a majority of the story already saved on a different computer so all I really need to do is rewrite one more chapter and then I'll be back to where I was before my flash drive decided to go suicide.**

**It's an annoying setback but, I should be able to at least get back to speed. To keep this from happening again (cuz it happened before -_-) I've decided to start using DropBox. Hopefully that'll save my butt. Also, I decided to update now before my frustration practically hinders me from updating later .**

**Anyway.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

The firelight of the torch encircled them upon entry, throwing their trembling shadows against the narrow, gritty walls. Dijonay kept close to Renée as they ventured forth, her hands pressed into her chest and her shoulders hunched as she looked about.

All around them it seemed the still, grim atmosphere sagged with an invisible weight and the air grew danker and muggier the deeper they traveled. Swallowing roughly, Dijonay tried to fend off the thickening ambiance by telling herself it was her imagination, but no such tricks eased her anxiety. With another gulp, she decided to concentrate on the dim light that Link's torch offered.

Suddenly Katrina came to a halt, the corners of her eyes flinching as a tingling sensation ran down the backs of her sharp ears.

With a soft yelp Dijonay almost bumped into Renée when she stopped behind Katrina. Using the torchlight to her advantage, Dijonay peeked around Renée's shoulder before letting her gaze jump around the dim hall once more. "What is it?"

"…Nothing." Katrina regained her lost momentum. Renée followed and, unwilling to be left behind, Dijonay hastily fell into step behind her.

At the front of the party Link didn't stop or falter, his eyes fixed on the far reaches of the torchlight. Only once was his attention broken, and that was when a sharp snapping sound erupted from beneath his boot. Pausing, he raised the toe of his shoe in order to find what had caused the sound. It was a human bone.

Unperturbed he continued, his jaw set as he followed the tunnel. Minutes later something else managed to snag his attention as it was caught in the firelight and shifting his eyes towards it, he slowed his pace in fascination.

On either side of the slim hall countless human bones and skulls were evenly stacked, with some of the cracked craniums facing away from the group while the rest had their empty eye sockets upon them, their jaws either hanging loosely, broken or absent altogether.

Whining quietly, Dijonay hid her face behind Renée.

Much to her relief they didn't linger in the corridor but rather kept moving forward, nothing but the snapping of the torch to keep them company. Finally the gloomy tunnel ended, breaking off at a small circular space that branched into three unlit passageways.

"Looks like it is a maze," Link murmured, holding the torch up to their options as he debated which one they should risk. His concentration was ultimately broken when something warmed his hand and looking down, he unfurled his fingers to show the red gemstone.

Once more the orange light within it was pulsating, but this time the strength of its light was brightening until the stone began to radiate in his palm. Moving like a flowing stream of water, the light began to swirl beneath the rock's glassy surface. Then, it pushed out a thin ray of light that rotated like a compass handle, and pointed to the path on the right.

His eyes flitted from it to the tunnel and back. "…I think we should try this way." He held the torch to the indicated path for the others to see which path he meant.

Katrina took a few steps towards the dark doorway, eyeing it dubiously. "Why?"

"I think this thing is telling us to."

At that Katrina looked at him then let her eyes drop to the gleaming ray that was poking out of the gem. Her face void of emotion, she returned her slim eyes to the passage.

Lacking her skepticism the others filed into the tunnel, striding between the closely set, bone-filled walls until they emerged in another, similar intersection. This time however only two doorways were offered: one that forked left, and the other to the right.

"Has that thing got any suggestions now?" Katrina slid Link a sidelong look.

He glanced at the stone. "Left."

So they followed the left-side path and passed through a tunnel that was filled with just as many bones as those previous. On the other end they encountered another crossroads and again consulted the glimmering ruby before continuing. Upon receiving an answer from it they went through the next tunnel, which led them to another intersection and thus left them to seek advice from the red gem again.

Chilly drafts became apparent to them the deeper they traveled, tickling at their exposed skin or lifting a few flyaway locks of their hair. It didn't take long for them to guess that the winds were coming from the labyrinth's exit and almost just as quickly, they assumed they would soon be leaving the dark maze. Dijonay even raised her hopes with the prospect that this tunnel would be the last one they would have to walk through.

But when it led them to another junction, she sighed in defeat.

"How long does this thing go on for?" Renée grumbled, knotting her fingers in her hair.

"Hopefully not for too much longer," Link said, peeking down at the gem when it pointed to the tunnel on the right. "I don't know how long the argorok will be able to keep the palace guard occupied."

As soon as those words left him, a sudden buzzing struck his ears.

The same noise knifed Brent and Katrina's senses and they studied the dark area confusedly, as though to find where the abrupt sound was coming from. Even as she took part in this a shiver dribbled down Katrina's spine and all at once the air thickened, shoving into her until she felt her breath was getting short. With the hairs of her nape standing on end she whirled around, knives shooting out of her sleeves.

There was nothing behind her.

Even so, the harsh scowl that had crossed her features deepened threateningly.

Renée clutched the hilt of her sword and pulled it partway out of its sheath, her skin crawling, and Mekial brushed his cloak over his shoulders. Ahead of them Brent gripped his Bo staff, Dijonay her lance and Link switched the torch from his left hand to his right so as to grab his sword hilt.

Another cold wind blew into the area, nipping them with its frigid breath. All the while the weight of their surroundings increased, gradually but undeniably, and Link suddenly wished he still had the ability to transform into a wolf.

There was something creeping in here – something so wicked and vile that it nearly sucked the breath from their lungs. But he couldn't see it, couldn't feel it, couldn't tell where it was coming from.

But it was here. Biding its time.

Watchful.

Waiting.

Silent.

"Dijonay?" Renée's wandering eyes leaped to her upon hearing the girl emit a soft groan. Spotting the paling pallor of her skin, Renée's brow crinkled with panic. "Dijonay, what's –"

With an unexpected yelp Dijonay gripped her skull with both hands, struggling to remain steady as she slipped out of the present to peer through the white haze clouding her vision.

Unlike the times before the images it revealed to her were crisper and the strange, crackling sound was clearer, rattling through her head. Her mind reeled and she swayed violently, overcome by a strange sense of detachment from her physical body.

"Dijonay!" Renée lunged to catch her, thus drawing the focus of the others.

"It…" The mists cleared out of Dijonay's eyes to expose the fright that was layered beneath. "It is…going to fall down…"

"Fall down –?" Renée started but cut off when a stone fell between hers and Dijonay's faces. Turning her eyes upward, she gazed to the rounded ceiling just in time to see a horridly large crack jump through it.

The others also looked up right as the great split darted across the ceiling, forking into several cracks that caused a few more stones to tumble out of place. As they toppled, the fractures continued to divide until the entire ceiling began to crumble away, loosing slabs of rock and stone to crush the party below.

Adrenaline pumping, they each dove out of the way as rocks of every size pelted towards them, causing plumes of dirt to accumulate and cloud their sight.

Ducking out of the path of a boulder, Mekial's eyes jumped to the side where he pinpointed Katrina sidling and skirting around the collapsing debris. Almost instinctually his gaze leaped to what was over her head. There a massive boulder was dangling, as if it were clinging to the ceiling until it perceived the opportune moment for it to fall.

_"Look out!"_

Moving before he could think he slammed himself into her, bowling her off her feet and sending them both flying out of the boulder's range just as it slipped and crashed to the ground.

Coughing in the settling smog, Link pushed off the ground and shook his head, freeing his hair of a few clumps of dirt. "Hey…" He started to get up. "Is everyone all right?"

A loud cough sounded from his left and turning his eyes in that direction, he snatched up the torch and went to offer his help.

Moaning softly, Dijonay forced herself up so that she was on her hands and knees.

"You all right?" Link gripped her arm and helped her to her feet.

"Th…thank you…" Brushing her dirtied fringe out of her eyes Dijonay peeked to see who had come to her aid. Realizing that it was Link her heart shot into her throat. Gingerly she shimmied out of his grasp and proceeded to dust off her clothing.

A couple of feet away there was another shift of movement and Renée's face appeared in the torchlight, her cheeks and garb splotched with just as much soil as Link's and Dijonay's. Not too far from her, Brent also came into view.

"We survived…" Renée switched her position so that she was sitting down and then she lifted her view to the pile of wreckage behind Link and Dijonay.

It was blocking well over half of the area, thus hiding both the passage that they had come from as well as the one that tunneled off to the right.

"…Wait." Her face fell. "Where's Mekial?"

Dijonay looked around and once realizing that she couldn't spot her bodyguard anywhere her heart began to sink. Brent and Link swept the place with their eyes as well but similarly found that the boy was nowhere in sight.

Renée's chest tightened. "Mekial?" she called, getting to her feet and battling her climbing panic. "Mekial, where are you?!"

"Katrina's not here, either," Brent noticed after a moment. "Katrina? Mekial!"

"Mekial!" Renée called again and her eyes fell back on the pile of rubble. Instantly her stomach dropped and tears sprang into her eyes. "Oh… Din, no…"

"Not yet." Link faced the ruins with a look of resolve. "We don't know for sure what happened to either of them."

Renée sniffed audibly and moved closer to the mound of fallen stone.

"Mekial?" Link shouted. "Katrina! Can either of you hear me?!"

"C'mon, answer!" Renée pleaded. "One of you!"

"Mekial!" Dijonay called.

"Katrina!" Link rejoined.

"Can you hear us?!" Brent tried.

"Nn…urgh…" Mekial lifted his head off the ground and peeked over his shoulder groggily. Just barely he could spot the outline of the fallen debris and in certain spaces, could further make out shafts of a faint, flickering light that streamed into the passage he was laying in. As his senses continued to click on he began to register a mix of familiar voices. They sounded far away for some reason…

Knitting his brow, he pushed up into a sitting position and held the side of his head. Then, he got to his feet.

"Mekial!" Renée hollered with her hands cupped around her mouth. But nothing other than the crackling of Link's torch answered her. Shoulders sagging she clasped her hands over her mouth, and fought to keep from crumbling to her knees. Still she tottered backward, and had it not been for Brent catching her she would have fallen over.

Link's hope began to die as well, noted by the gradual creasing of his eyebrows. But his melancholy broke when a voice finally answered.

"Ren?"

"Mekial!" Her eyes still glistening, Renée chanced a few steps towards the rubble and her trembling hands began to fall from her face. "Mek… Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, I'm okay!" On his side of the rubble he started to study the dark rocks, hoping to find a way through them. At the sound of a soft groan he ceased his searching and twisted to see another figure rising somewhere behind him.

Katrina straightened and feeling his eyes on her she turned and squinted through a shaft of torchlight to see his face.

"Is Katrina there with you?" Mekial heard Link question.

"Yeah!" He refaced the debris. "We're both here!" He started to grope at parts of the pile, hunting for a loose spot. "I'm gonna try and get us out – a-_ah_!"

"Wait!" Brent shouted as soon as he heard some of the stones tumble out of their fallen places.

Mekial lowered his arms when he realized that he hadn't worsened the situation and delivered a disgruntled frown to the wreckage.

"This cave's already shown it's not stable," he heard Brent say. "Trying to blow these rocks out of your way might make things worse."

"I kinda figured that out already!" the boy hollered back. "But then, how'm I s'posed to get out of here?"

"We can figure something out."

"What?" He looked back at Katrina.

"There's a draft!" Katrina called through the ceiling fragments, and as she spoke these words her hair moved to tickle the sides of her face. "If we follow it, we should find our way out."

"Are you sure?" Dijonay shouted.

"It's all we've got," Katrina answered flatly. "Unless you've got a better idea."

"Is this really the time?" Mekial snapped.

She barely glanced at him, but her irritation still spiked. "Time for what? I'm leaving an opening for her to offer another suggestion."

"You could at least stand to say it _nicely_."

"Who are you to dictate how I talk?" Katrina's eyes, though Mekial couldn't see them, were cold.

"I'm just trying to help with your etiquette," he retorted. "Most people your age would've learned it by now."

"Please, just be careful!" Dijonay called, unintentionally interrupting their short dispute.

"Don't worry!" Mekial responded. "We'll catch up with you!"

"We'll try to meet up with you at the exit!" Link called. "If you're not there, we'll try to find you!"

"Okay!"

Renée heaved a sigh of immense relief as Link looked at the gemstone when it released another beam, which it pointed at the tunnel that went straight.

"No need to worry, Ren." Brent put an assuring hand on her shoulder. "If I know those two, they'll make it out of here fine."

"Thanks." Renée smiled appreciatively. "But, now I'm just a bit more worried that they'll go at each other's throats before that."

"The stone's rerouting our path," Link spoke up, looking away from the mysterious item in his hand.

"How do you mean?" Dijonay inquired.

"The tunnel that Mekial and Katrina are in is the same one that we were supposed to take before the cave-in," he replied and he switched his gaze to Renée. "We'll be taking another path now. But in the end, we'll meet up with them again."

Renée nodded, her worries ebbing somewhat at the confidence in his voice.

Smiling back, Link turned and guided them towards the new path that the gemstone had decided on.

Without a word Katrina started down the tunnel she and Mekial were trapped in, crossing her arms and trusting her senses as she strolled through the darkness. When a soft, periwinkle illumination erupted from behind her she stopped, blinking to adjust her vision and she stole a glance back at Mekial.

"Sorry," he said curtly as his orb rose to hover over their heads. "I like to see where I'm going."

Katrina said nothing and continued through the passage, smoothly hiding the fact that, truthfully, she was grateful for the light.

Mekial, too, kept to himself and thus devoured by silence they tread forth, narrowing their eyes against the soft, icy drafts that slithered into the passage from up ahead. It didn't take long for them to come to the end of the passage, which led to neither the exit nor another junction. Instead it was linked to a small open space with a single doorway directly opposite where they were standing.

Here they stopped for a moment, standing a fair distant apart as they stared into the depths of the lone route before them. Finally, Mekial broke the quiet with a bitter laugh.

"How mad would the others be if they were the ones who needed to take the detour?" he asked, his eyes never leaving the tunnel.

Katrina didn't even crack a smile. Brushing his humor off her shoulder like it was a speck of dirt she made to enter the tunnel first but then stopped, for during their brief walk through the passage she had been bothered by a constant thought that she could no longer suppress.

"Hey." She didn't look at Mekial when she spoke and yet when her vocals sounded, he viewed her out of the side of his eye.

Katrina paused, her eyes still fixed on the tunnel. Then her gaze tumbled to the floor and she bit her lip, gathering herself until she felt she had the poise to continue.

"You nearly killed yourself, you know." She still didn't turn. "Saving me."

Mekial didn't answer.

After another moment of suspense Katrina turned her chin to the side, but not so far enough that Mekial could properly read her countenance. "…Thank you."

Mekial didn't respond immediately, partly taken aback by her genuine show of gratitude. When he overcame his astonishment he uttered the phrase that was commonly said in answer to hers, "You're welcome."

Katrina tipped her chin briskly and looked back at the passage just as another wind trickled out of it. Silently she stepped inside and with his ball of light bobbing overhead, Mekial strolled in after her.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

Fire gushed out of the argorok's mouth like a cyclone, whirling towards the Shadows and roasting them in midflight. Flapping his scratched wings the dragon cut off his attack when he felt he had achieved victory and dropping his golden eyes, he looked for a spot to land.

Only just as he did another swarm of the cloaked beasts soared towards him, flogging his scaled body with their sharp-nailed fingers. Though they could do little damage individually their numbers increased their strength, leaving the argorok to thrash in the air as though he was fighting off an army of bees.

Roaring and screeching the monster began to lose altitude, all the while clamping his jaws around any Shadow that he could reach. He managed to kill most of them and by the time he crashed back to the palace grounds there was little less than half of the fiends left.

But they weren't his only problem now.

Having been brought closer to the ground the palace knights could now take him on again, stabbing him with their spears and lances or slashing with their swords. Thanks to the toughness of his reptilian skin their iron weapons could barely penetrate him, but they did succeed in elevating his already heightened annoyance.

Eyes glinting brutally the dragon righted himself, shaking off the Shadows that were clambering over his back and unleashed such a powerful roar that the knights were forced to hoist up their shields.

A great fireball assembled in the rear of the beast's throat, flashing violently and casting a menacing red glow across the field. Seeing this, a number of the knights pulled back before the flames could ensnare them but the Shadows kept pushing, speeding over and around the dragon's head in an effort to distract it.

Noticing them the argorok switched targets and launched the massive fire at them, rotating his head from side to side in order to catch them all.

Without warning, a great gale smacked into his face, forcing his snout to turn towards the sky. Immediately his flames dissipated and as soon as the gusts died he lowered his demonic eyes, hunting for the mage that had dared to interrupt him.

Kelvis' stony expression didn't change when the dragon found him, his hand falling to his side in an unconcerned way. With his other hand upon the hilt of his ax, he watched as the argorok brought his fanged face closer, golden eyes wide and steam spewing from his flared nostrils.

The soldiers looked between the two, not sure if they should step in and offer their support or hang back. Kelvis seemed to have a good handle of himself on the battlefield after all – they worried they would simply get in his way.

Ignoring their hesitant stares Kelvis' arm flexed as he brought his double-headed ax partway out of its sheath. But then, thinking better of it, he replaced it and dropped his hand to his side. As soon as he did wind began to circle around him, gradually causing his hair and cape to billow quietly.

His black eyes never left the argorok. "…Go home."

A mighty tornado exploded around him, knocking his cape into the air and sending the argorok's head flying back. The soldiers weren't spared, as nearly all of them were blown completely off their feet.

Twisting its head back the argorok snarled frighteningly and dove towards the axmen, jowls unhinging to swallow him whole.

But all at once a memorable scent entered the beast's widened nostrils and his jaw clamped shut. Utterly distracted, he moved his shiny eyes from Kelvis to a being that was now standing behind him.

Lingering before the sliding glass doors that led back into the palace, Morbex stared right back at the dragon. With his silver eyebrows drawing together, he took a small step onto the concrete patio that Kelvis and the soldiers were atop of. As he did the argorok raised his head, not once taking its eyes off of him.

Likewise Morbex held its gaze, losing himself amidst a calm, mental rush of faded images and censored names.

He knew this dragon. Knew it…from…

"Quick! Get it while it's distracted!"

Morbex snapped out of his thoughts and he looked to the armored men right as they moved to engage the dragon once more.

Kelvis stepped out of their way and raised his eyes to the argorok as it roared down at them, rearing its long neck and preparing to hock up another fireball.

_"Wait!"_ Morbex dashed across the patio, forcing his way through the mob of soldiers. Noticing him the argorok backed down, though still continued to growl at the knights.

"Stop – please!" Morbex burst out of the throng and from his new position at the edge of the paved ground he tilted his head back to view the argorok.

Growling in the back of his throat, the dragon took a couple of steps back and then brought his head close to the ground as Morbex stepped towards him, cautiously lifting a hand.

Behind him the soldiers waited with bated breath, knees bent into a battle-ready stance in case they had to spring forth to offer their support. Collectively they gasped when Morbex's hand touched the argorok's snout and once sure the beast wouldn't attack him he went on to pet it.

On the patio, the soldiers exchanged looks.

"…I… I remember you…" Morbex's voice, though sounding at little more than a mumble, made the argorok's ears turn towards him.

But Morbex didn't pay attention, his eyes instead focusing on the hazy image of snow-covered plains and an endless, raging blizzard. Figures appeared around him as he stood in the midst of that memory, but their faces were hidden behind the incessant curtains of snowfall.

"We found you in the mountains…" Morbex returned to the present and he searched the dragon's scaly face. "But why are you here?"

The reptile hummed lowly and its face moved towards him.

Frowning, Morbex dropped his hand and took an unconscious step back. Brusquely, he stopped when the argorok's forehead pushed against his, sending a torrent of heavily detailed images rushing into his mind, each one paired with a quote spoken by voices that steadily unlocked his amnesia.

_"It's just like an overgrown pet!"_

_"Is that why you were looking for us? To find Morbex?"_

_"You think this thing wants to save Morbex?"_

_"How is he?"_

_"I think it was the Palace of Albaan…"_

The sights blew past his eyes faster than he could see them but his mind could still identify them, still pinpoint the different faces and match them with the names that were now popping up in his head: that was Mekial, that was Dijonay, there was Renée and Brent, and over there was Katrina, and Link –

Suddenly a new face appeared in front of him, blue-skinned and egg-shaped with bright red eyes. It belonged to a woman and from her painted lips came a language that filled him with nostalgia.

In this frontward view of her she stared up at him, or perhaps at the dragon, and directed her words to it: _"Take them to the city located around the Palace of Albaan, as you originally came to do," _she ordered._ "Think of them as your reinforcements. Go to the palace and bide them some time until they can arrive through the back. Then, they'll take care of the rest." _Her face and the background began to blacken as her voice drifted in and out of lucidity.

_"Have you got that?"_

Gasping, Morbex broke away from the argorok and fell into the grass, his eyes wide.

He remembered it all now.

The people he had been able to name: he had traveled with them, lived with them, fought with them. They were his friends, his support in his fight to take down his brother before he had decided that it was actually he who was in the wrong. Not too soon after that, he had betrayed those people.

Yes. That was right…

He had killed them.

How then could they still be alive?

His heart began to race, beating against his chest with the power of thunder. Malbex would surely have his head if he found out that those people were on their way here, slinking through the backstreets in order to break into the palace and follow through with the plan that Morbex had once believed to be just. He swallowed to moisten his dry throat.

"Are you daft…?" The fear in his eyes retreated behind a veil of horror and he jumped to his feet.

The dragon observed him patiently.

"I don't need _saving!"_ Morbex shouted, his shoulders tensing, and behind him the soldiers looked between one another in perplexity once again.

"Get out of here!" Morbex cried, swiping his arm across the air. "Do you want to get me killed?!"

The argorok straightened up with a quiet grumbling noise.

"What are you doing?!" Morbex's hands flashed and something vibrated in the ground between he and the beast, forcing it back a couple of inches. _"I said get out of here!"_

He raised his arms in defense when the dragon yelled defiantly, its breath so powerful that his clothes and cloak actually flapped around him.

The soldiers readied their weapons and with cries of war they made to charge down the field.

"Wait," Kelvis called and at his tone they stopped and looked back at him. He nodded his head at the dragon. "Look."

Turning, they found that there was nothing for them to be defensive about: the argorok had raised his head once more, working his jaw with faint snorts as if he was blowing off excess steam.

Morbex shakily lowered his arms and upon learning that the argorok bore no ill intent, he dropped his limbs and faced it fully.

He supposed he had no reason to yell at it. It was not as if the dragon could ever understand what had happened within the last five months.

He dropped his head. "All right…"

The argorok snorted.

Morbex sighed heavily and stopped for a second, wrapping his mind around his present situation so as to figure out a way to approach it. Without a doubt this creature was devoted to the mission it had been given, though as far as why that was Morbex couldn't even begin to figure it out. All he could understand was that, even though it had seen him only a couple of times and he shared no clear memories of ever being with it, this reptile was the only thing in the past five months that had dared to show him some kind of friendship.

Kelvis had done no such thing for him in spite of their being near one another again. For the duration of his stay in the palace the man had treated Morbex as a stranger, sweeping past him without a second glance and only speaking to him when it was necessary or a requirement of simple etiquette.

Even Tentra had started to act strange and uncomfortable around him, and Malbex's sour mood seemed to grow even bitterer whenever he crossed paths with Morbex.

Overall, no matter what he did or how hard he tried to fit in here, it was never enough. But this dragon…

For some reason, it didn't have that same view. For some reason, it cared about him.

_"You think this thing wants to save Morbex?"_

Morbex's eyes fell to his feet.

Did that mean that this dragon had come to take him away from here? But, why would it want to do that?

He supposed it didn't really matter. But what did was that he owed this animal for its loyalty.

Sighing again, he lifted his voice to address it. "If you won't leave," he started, taking a step forward, "then at least go off somewhere and hide." When the beast dropped its face towards him he reached up to stroke its snout. "I'll summon you later."

As the dragon hummed its consent, Morbex's lips pulled up in a slow, sad smile, and he spoke his next words at a volume he was sure only the reptile could hear. "And…if I'm to mess up anymore, perhaps you and I can leave this place together." His hand fell still. "…I don't think my being here has really done much to benefit anyone."

The dragon grunted quietly and as its head climbed back into the sky it fanned out its wings. Then with one powerful flap, it blasted into the air.

Wind blowing all around him Morbex watched the dragon's form shrink away. When the gales completely settled and the argorok was nowhere to be seen, his face darkened.

Spinning around, he marched across the grass and back onto the patio, intending to step back into the palace. He didn't spare a glance to any of the soldiers as they watched him but when he walked past Kelvis he stopped and tilted his eyes towards him.

"Kelvis. Where is Malbex?"

"I heard he returned to his throne room," the man answered.

"Good." Morbex returned his eyes to the doorway. "I need you to come with me. To the Evian Pool."

"For what?"

"We've been deceived." Morbex's face slipped into an emotionless stare as he gazed into the palace. "We're going to be attacked from the Pool next."

"Do you need assistance milord?" one of the soldiers asked, stepping forth.

"That won't be necessary." Morbex shifted to face him at an angle, the light of the corridor glowing around his silhouette like a heavenly aura and permitting the red of his eyes to stand out forebodingly. "We'll take care of it. In the meantime, reinforce the palace's interior defenses."

"Sir!"

Briefly meeting Kelvis' eyes Morbex turned and walked inside with the axmen following. As the warmth of the building's interior crowded him to dull the red that had flushed his cheeks, he veered right and started towards the back end of the manor.

There was no way he would mess up this time, he vowed to himself.

This time, he would annihilate his brother's enemies.

He swore it.

* * *

**Next: May 3rd.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

"…So." Mekial waited to see if Katrina would respond and when she didn't, he scratched the back of his neck idly. After removing the itch, his arm flopped to his side. "Wonder how long this passage is."

Katrina didn't look at him. "Who knows?"

He casually dug his hands into his pockets. "It's a pretty long tunnel…" he went on, his eyes gliding to the many skulls and bones that were layered in the walls. "What do we do if we get to the exit before the others?"

"Who knows?"

Mekial frowned and took a moment to wade through his frustration before picking something else to say. "…There's a rock in my boot."

Katrina's tone was just as empty as her face. "Then take it off and shake it out."

His eyes flicked over to her and back to the tunnel. "Just kidding. There isn't a rock in my boot."

Katrina only barely reacted. "Why did you even bother saying anything?"

"I find it a nice conversation-starter."

"It's a terrible conversation-starter."

"But we're having a conversation, though."

She grunted. "What makes you think I even want to have a conversation with you?"

"Oh, I don't know. The fact that you're responding to what I say? Just a guess."

She sighed tiredly. "Why are you talking?"

"Why can't I?" he asked, his voice dripping with rebellion.

She chewed her tongue.

"…It's just too quiet here," he admitted after a moment. "I don't like it. I feel like…like we're being watched. Is it just me?"

At this Katrina slid him another sidelong look, for she had also begun to feel a strange presence lingering in this seemingly endless tunnel, pooling around them to the point where she felt as if she could reach out and grab it. "…No."

"Okay. Then I'm not crazy." When Katrina released a quiet huff, he shot her a look. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

But she didn't answer and so with a quiet grumbling – which Katrina expertly ignored – he switched his eyes to what lay ahead of them.

The further they traveled however, the tenser the air became, surrounding them until Mekial thought for sure that his breath was getting short. He cast Katrina a furtive glance, wondering if she felt the same way – but he couldn't tell what sort of face she was making behind her long fringe.

Returning his eyes to the passage again he shivered subtly, and was suddenly reminded of their trek through the old temple in the Hyrulean desert. There, too, he had felt some kind of lingering presence and Renée had guessed that he was more in tune to it because of his being a Mage.

He wondered if the same presumption was true now. Either way he didn't like this feeling, didn't like how the air bogged around him like a filthy slime that he couldn't touch.

Suddenly, he recalled what Renée had said about these catacombs and the hair on his body stood on end: according to their father, this place was rumored to be haunted. If that was true, was that why he was feeling so uncomfortable and cramped?

He swallowed, hoping that that information wasn't relevant to his present situation. Thus pushing it out of his mind he trooped forward, chanting to himself that the reason he felt so suffocated was because he was in an underground tunnel.

But no matter how many times he repeated that scientific thought, he wasn't convinced.

His eyes flitted to the bone-encrusted walls and, his discomfort peaking, he drew his shoulders up with a glance in Katrina's direction. "…Hey."

As before, she didn't answer. But his fear for the silence outweighed his dissatisfaction for being ignored and so he spoke again: "When this is all over…we should have a rematch."

Folding her arms Katrina kept walking, and when Mekial didn't elaborate on what he meant she took it upon herself to draw it out of him. "For what?"

"For the target game back in the palace."

"…Why?"

"'Cause…"

Katrina slid him a sideways stare, figuring that he was probably still working to lighten the edgy atmosphere with idle conversation. She couldn't blame him for it, for she too was a little disturbed by how much eerier the place was becoming. And yet, the strange quiet of the passage wasn't overbearing enough for her to feel anxious.

All she presumed that they needed to do was to keep their guards up. Whatever was bearing down on them would reveal itself soon enough if it deemed itself important, and when it did they would overcome it and move on, just as they had always done throughout the course of their oversea travels.

Besides, she wasn't interested in having a rematch with the child. As far as she was concerned, she had won their little tournament, having knocked out two more twilit kargoroks than he had. Of course, he had turned to the then-amnesiac Link to ask for a recount, but the Hylian hadn't even been paying attention.

So, as she had previously done, she ignored his comment. Mere minutes passed before he lifted his voice once more.

"What was your family like?"

Katrina's heart nearly stopped and she viewed him with a frown of skepticism. Was he that desperate to end the silence between them?

"Okay, guess I'll start," he gave in when her lips remained sealed. "My dad was a sailor. And my mom was a singer."

Still Katrina didn't answer and she faced away from him as they continued to trek through the underground tunnel.

"I miss them. A lot."

Realizing that he was no longer following behind her Katrina twisted a bit to see him. His eyes were cast to the side and his countenance was veiled with a despondency that she had never seen there before.

"You probably feel like that too, right?" His big brown eyes moved over to her. "About your family I mean."

Katrina's eyes dropped to the ground and then she turned her back on him. "…Yeah. Every day."

_And every night._

Mekial drove his hands into his pockets and kicked a stone, suddenly unsure of what to say next.

"Ren…" Katrina stopped, but with a harried sigh forced herself to finish her sentence, "Renée told me about what your father used to say to you two." She picked up her feet and started to walk again.

"What'd Dad say?" Mekial asked curiously, jogging forth until he was striding beside her.

Katrina's eyes remained on the path. "That one day you'd only have each other."

"He did…?" Mekial frowned off to the side and sparks of remembrance soon flew in his mind. "Oh, yeah. He kinda buried that one into our heads. Especially when me and Ren would get into fights."

"Don't ever take her for granted."

"Huh?"

"Because…it's like your father said." Katrina's face grew solemn. "You just…never know when she might disappear…"

Mekial gaped at her and then snapped back into conscious thought. "W-well I know _that_. Jeez, you sound like a depressed version of my dad…"

To this, Katrina gave no reaction.

Mekial pursed his lips and stuffed his hands into his pockets again. "…So. You never answered my question."

"Oh." She clenched her jaw hesitantly.

Months had passed since the Isle Massacre, she knew. Even still, she could still vividly remember how, after the dreadful event, she had scoured the empire for weeks for the man that had stolen her life away from her, hiding from slave traders and striving to gather any relevant information she could.

But everywhere she mentioned the event there was no one that could help her; it had been as if the one she had sought didn't even exist. Her frustration and rage had increased and overlapped throughout that time, beating down her feelings of loneliness and despair. But at the most inopportune moments she would suddenly recollect an old memory of her island life and as a result would have to withdraw from her mission in order to recompose herself.

Mentioning her family now, in a place like this, she feared she would lose control over her emotions again, similar to when she had helped bury the dead back in Kakariko Village. The last thing she wanted was for Mekial to see her exposed like that – it was bad enough that Link had already seen her that way.

"Fine. Don't answer."

Shaken from her thoughts Katrina peeked over at Mekial in time to see him pick up his pace so he was a few steps ahead of her. Her lips parted soundlessly.

But then she clamped them shut and bowed her head, quietly wading through her paranoia.

"My father…was the village chief."

His ears tingling, Mekial tilted his head to the side and waited for her to catch up to him.

Katrina came forward numbly, almost in a daze. "And…my mother was a seamstress."

She honestly didn't know why she was speaking, or why she had abruptly decided to reminisce about her past. Perhaps it was because, just once, she didn't want to remember her family the way they had looked the night of the Massacre. Perhaps it was because, just once, she wanted to remember the way they were before.

Back when her heart didn't hurt.

"Keagan and Ellie were my younger brother and sister," she plowed on, drawing their faces out of the most guarded parts of her heart. "Now that I think about it, Keagan's birthday is coming up soon. He…he would be turning twelve…"

Mekial's once interested features faded into worry when she lowered her head and the gait of her walk slowed. "U-um… Sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't know it was so hard to think about…"

Katrina shook her head with a quiet sniff and lifted her chin. "No. It's fine. I…I actually like this. Remembering them." She was being truthful. Somehow, just talking about her family made the once heavy atmosphere seem lighter.

Mekial studied her for a short moment, then smiled. "That's how I get when I think about Mom and Dad. Somehow, it helps me through the hard times. I can remember Mom always saying that she and Dad would always be here, no matter what." He patted his chest and then knit his brow in contemplation. "…I didn't know what she meant at first. I thought she was telling me to get her and Dad's names tattooed onto my chest, like Dad's friends did."

At that, Katrina actually released a breathless laugh.

Mekial smiled again. "But I get what she means now. Your family's there too." He pointed to her heart. "You can't ever forget them, or all the happy times you spent with them."

Katrina smiled faintly and looked off to the side. "Yeah. I guess that's true."

The boy's smile was steadfast and he leveled his eyes with the passage once again, his anxieties now quelled by the memory of his family. But not even a split second later something cold trickled by his ear and with a little jump his hand flew up, cupping the cartilage as if to grab what had tickled him.

Katrina stopped short and turned. "Did you hear something?" Though the inquiry was directed at the mage her eyes were situated on the darkness that slouched far behind Mekial's glowing orb.

"No…" He turned reluctantly. "But…I felt something."

She looked at him questioningly. "What?"

"I don't know, but… But I can feel something…" He lowered his hand and looked at it, then dropped it to his side and his chest clenched with unenthusiastic acceptance. "…I think something's in here."

"How do you figure?"

The boy paused, taking a moment to hone in on his sixth sense. With his heart drumming painfully he brushed his fears to the side and studied the hallway, permitting the presence he had sensed earlier to fully close in around him, drawing his focus to a realm that was not visible to the naked eye.

Beneath the soft light of his orb, Katrina watched some of the color gradually drain from his face. "…It's dead…"

Katrina's eyes flinched and though she made no other comment, her eyes swiveled to examine the rest of the passage. Save the same suffocation that she had become aware of earlier, she couldn't identify the attendance of anything else.

_"Seekers of the Eye…"_

At the hissing voice Katrina's skin crawled and her knives burst out of her sleeves. Mekial threw her an incredulous look.

She frowned at him. "You didn't hear that?"

He frowned back. "Didn't you say it?"

"Why would _I _say something like that?"

_"Die away…"_

Startled, the two refaced the tunnel and together spotted a faint, purple haze inching along the ceiling. The pair watched it warily, retreating slowly as it crept ever closer. Soon, it oozed down the sides of the jagged walls, where it slipped over the bones and faces of the embedded skulls.

_"Die away…"_

Mekial's heart skipped and he clutched his chest; at the same time the air became rather frigid, cooling to the point where he could see his breath pass before him in a cloud of white mist. Katrina's knives jumped to their full extent and as the temperature continued to drop, a red tint saturated her cheeks.

_"Die away…"_

Curling around the rotten body parts, the violet haze seeped into the skulls' eye sockets and open jowls.

_"Die away…"_

Red lights blinked into existence within the skinless heads' empty eyeholes, and in an instant they shot to the side, pinpointing the intruders.

_"Die away…!"_

The skulls suddenly broke free of the walls, their glowing eyes not once moving from the foreigners as they mystically hovered about. Katrina and Mekial took another step back and at the same time femurs, pelvises, vertebrae and more shot out of the walls, fitting together to form bodies for the floating heads.

Mekial's light started to flicker.

Katrina glanced at it. _"Mekial!"_

Drawn from his paralysis the boy forced his mind to focus; consequently, the light solidified once again.

_"DIE AWAY!"_

At the bodiless voice's booming roar, the skeleton that was closest to them leaped forward, boney arms extended. In a flash Katrina reacted, slashing its arms clean off - but no sooner had the bones clattered to the ground did the purple haze coil around them, hoist them into the air and reattach them to the mindless minion.

Katrina drew back in a stupor. "What the h–"

"Get back!"

Glancing at Mekial, she saw that a plume of black smoke was forming around his hands. Hastily she retreated, and once she was out of the way he pressed his smoky hands together and then extended them, fingers spread. With the force of a geyser the smog erupted from his palms, shrouding both his and Katrina's forms in a veil of ebony fog.

"C'mon!" Spinning on his heel Mekial dashed down the tunnel and his ball of light zoomed after him.

"Why didn't you just blow them up or something?!" Katrina yelled as she ran after him, her knives sinking back into their hidden sheaths.

"Because they can _clearly _put themselves back together!" he shouted back.

"I thought your magic was advanced!"

"Yeah, well, it's actually got its limits! Like not being able to move mountains – ringing any bells?!"

Katrina held in a growl of frustration. Perhaps she shouldn't have placed so much respect in his abilities. "Fine, just run!"

Neither of them glanced back once, not even when the icy chill raced to brush its bristly fingers against the backs of their necks. Soon their path elevated along a short incline and at its peak, they were blasted by yet another cold draft that, after quick observation, they realized was unrelated to the mass of skeletons to their rear. Only a few more hastened steps brought them to the end of the tunnel and hoping that they had finally arrived at the exit Mekial hurried through the doorway first, only to stop at what he saw.

Or rather, what he didn't see.

The room they were in now was bathed in perfect darkness, so much so that not even Mekial's hovering light could illuminate more than five feet in front of him. Katrina jogged out of the passage as he stared into the empty void and stopped near the edge of their light source. After pausing to catch her breath, she looked back and concentrated on her genetically sensitive ears.

"…They're still coming." She forced her blades out. "And they're close."

"Kinda figured that much," Mekial grunted.

Paying no mind to his grumbling, Katrina tensed as the sound of rattling feet drew nearer. "Make the light brighter."

"Make the light brighter, _please_," the boy corrected, bothered by the sudden return of her cold personality.

Katrina bristled with annoyance. "Just make it brighter!"

"Would it kill you to just show some respect? I _am _the only one who can work the light after all!"

"We'll both be killed if you don't make that –" she swore – "light brighter!"

"I think you just took a step in the wrong direction."

She growled angrily, unable to believe that he was picking now of all times to nitpick on her etiquette. After taking a brief but painful moment to beat down her pride in favor of their safety, she relented. "Fine! Please!"

"You got it!"

Irritated, Katrina rounded on the tunnel, mumbling a series of unprintable phrases beneath her breath. Behind her Mekial raised a hand to the ball of light and mumbled a quick chant that sent it soaring into the air. When he realized that it still couldn't catch a wider area with its glow he added another verse and with a soundless flash it blew up to the size of a small house, catching the cavern's details in its shining rays.

Immediately, Mekial became aware of a vast drum column standing five or six meters in front of him. Mounting into the dark recesses of the ceiling, the surface of its wide girth was blanketed with yet more human bones – but its most noticeable feature were the three hooded figures standing right in front of it.

With a startled shout he made to attack the beings, thus drawing Katrina's attention. But upon closer examination, he saw that the strangers were nothing more than robed skeletons, their clothing patched with layers of dirt and their skulls streaked with yellow grime.

Along the walls of the long cavern more human bones were pasted up as decoration, with various assortments of pelvises, femurs and other skeletal parts arranged to look like the images one would find on tapestry or on a nobleman's fancy rug. Niches had also been carved out of the walls, each of which housed fully clothed corpses. Some of the bodies were even situated to stand against or hang off of parts of the wall, decayed flesh peeling off of their heads as they peered through the last of their rotting eyeballs.

Shuddering, Mekial shifted his gaze to what was beyond the drum column, and there located a large pit that spanned the length of the underground chamber. Littering its entirety were the remains of an innumerable amount of skeletons, some of them intact while the rest were either eroded or missing vital pieces. So overwhelming were their numbers that it was nearly impossible to notice the narrow walkway that paved through them and towards a cleared, circular section further in. There, a black marble plinth stood in the center.

"What is…?" Mekial took a step closer and his next breath blossomed into a clear fog.

Noticing her own visible breath, Katrina redirected her eyes from the chamber to the tunnel's entryway. Seconds later, distant red lights became apparent in the depths of the passage.

She readied her stance. "Here they come."

"Wait!" Mekial blurted out, swinging around to view her. "We can't fight them, remember?"

"Then what're we supposed to do?"

"I don't…" Mekial pursed his lips and glanced back into the depths of the bone pit. "Let's see what that thing is over there!" He pointed at the plinth and Katrina followed his indication with her eyes.

"We're about to be ambushed by an army of rotten bones, and you want to go looking around?"

"Indeed. Unless you've got a better idea."

Katrina clenched her jaw and after a short moment, she straightened up and let her knives retreat into her sleeves. "…No."

"Didn't think so."

She glared at him.

"So c'mon: there might be something over there that can get us out of this mess!" That said he hurried around the column and into the pile of bones, sweeping through them with his feet as he headed for the narrow walkway. No sooner had his boots kicked over a small heap of the human remains did a raucous clatter come from the tunnel and, turning, Katrina noticed that she could no longer see the red eyes from before.

Mekial, too, had turned to look. "Um…what was that?"

"They…" Katrina strained to listen for any kind of sound, but could hear nothing other than the buzzing silence of the labyrinth. "They aren't moving anymore."

"Not…?" Mekial stopped, suddenly becoming aware of the sight of his breath and he whirled back around when goose bumps surged across his skin.

Katrina also spun to face away from the tunnel, and simultaneously they spotted the same purple haze from before now hovering over the extensive vault.

It bloomed gradually but noticeably, circling over the pit until it was whirling over at least half of it. Even as it grew a soft, raspy sigh sounded throughout the cavern, causing both Mekial and Katrina to shiver, both from the voice and the sudden drop in temperature that came along with it.

Then the cloud descended, sinking until it was mere feet above the pit. For a moment it simply hovered there as the air fell quiet and then it bulged, pushing out two long, serpentine extensions that flowed out before bending to push against the ground to support the cloud like arms.

A third lump protruded from the front of the cloud, looking like little more than a colossal-sized blob. Smoke billowed around the sides of this bulge and flowed downward to insinuate down-curving horns; as they formed, the blob-shaped protrusion shifted to take on the form of a humanoid skull, hollowing out the locations for eye sockets and a pumping mandible.

Finally, one lone, bright red eye appeared on the right side of the growing face, gleaming murderously as it peered out into the cavern. An orange light then blinked in the red iris and rotated to fasten onto the humans.

A split second later the remaining fog blasted away to show the complete form of the creature beneath, shocking the travelers so badly that they actually staggered backward.

_"Seekers of the Eye…"_

The skeletal colossal bore down on them threateningly, garbed in finely decorated clothing that looked to have faded and torn over the course of a millennia. Gray, human flesh was barely clinging to its decomposing bones and in its chest was a gaping hole through which the mage and archer could peer right through to the other side of the room.

The phantom lowered its patched, weathered face, granting them a better view of its rotten mandibles and dry, dead skin. With a raspy growl, it parted its jaws to let out a thin stream of purple smoke.

_"…Will die away."_

The skeleton roared vehemently, rattling the cave walls and knocking both Mekial and Katrina off their feet. Regaining himself Mekial sat up and hurriedly pushed out of the bone pile, noisily knocking some of the remains out of place.

When he and Katrina were both on their feet the undead creature whipped its face to the black ceiling and screamed again, its unblinking, orange eye still fastened upon them.

Mekial brushed his cloak over his shoulders and fought back a shiver. His eyes still glued to the creature, he addressed Katrina, "Together?"

She pulled the bow out of her quiver. "Since you're all I've got at the moment."

He stared at her for a second then looked away with a dry smirk as the titan dropped its eye back to them, the purple haze spewing out of its mouth like lava.

The stone in Mekial's forehead started to glow. "Fair enough."


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

"…I apologize."

Renée, Link and Brent stopped to look at Dijonay.

"What for?" Brent asked.

"It is my fault that we are in this situation," she clarified glumly, staring at her toes. "I could not tell what my Vision was until the last moment."

The three looked at one another.

"I don't think you should beat yourself up about it," Renée spoke up. "If anything, we at least got enough of a warning to be able to react. All of us," she reiterated in homage to their separated allies.

"But…"

"As far as your Foresight goes, maybe it's something you just need to learn how to control," Renée offered. "You're still young. Maybe you'll get better at predicting stuff as you get older?"

Dijonay nodded silently but said nothing.

"Dijonay."

She looked up.

"No one's mad at you," Link told her. "We're going to make it out of here."

Again she nodded, and steadily lowered her view to the ground again. "I wonder how Mekial and Katrina are doing…"

"I'm sure they're fine." Link started back down the tunnel and at the following junction, glanced at the stone when it pointed to the rightward passage.

"Yes, but…"

"Things have gotten strained between them," Renée finished for her as they walked into the tunnel the stone had indicated. "Yeah…I tried talking to Katrina before we left."

Dijonay looked at her curiously. "What did you say?"

"Well, I asked if she could at least try to get along with Mekial…" She sighed. "But I kinda felt like I was talking to a statue. I don't get the sense that she hates any of us but…it just seems like she has a lot on her mind."

"I can't blame her," Brent said. "Considering what she's been through."

Renée made a soft sound of agreement and at the same time a cold breath of wind brushed against her cheeks.

"A draft…" Link's collar fluttered around his neck. "We must be close."

"Finally," Renée breathed. "I'm sick of these caves."

Treading just a bit further, the four soon stepped into a connecting chamber where the light of the torch could just barely enclose them. Caught in the more chilly breezes that were more frequent here the flames flickered wildly, toying with the surrounding shadows and yet unable to stretch forth to light their way.

Slowing his stride so that he could properly gauge his dim surroundings, Link went forward first. Three steps later his foot crashed into something and with a hollow clatter, what looked like human bones tumbled out of place to settle around his ankles.

He drew his foot back and held the torch higher. From its new vantage point, the orange flame illuminated nearby mounds of more bones. Surrounding them on all sides the piles receded into the shadows, making even an estimate of their amount difficult to grasp. Here and there some of the carcasses were still clothed, though their outfits were tattered, and they were carrying rusted swords and spears, as if they had been slain before having even gained the chance to defend themselves.

"What is this place?" Dijonay whispered from behind him.

"Don't know…" Link's eyes fell upon a slim path that weaved through the skeletons and his eyes followed it as far as he could see. Then, he approached it.

The others went after him, casting their eyes to the left and right to see that the human remains bordered them on both sides, leaving cracked skulls to gaze up at them or large, black bugs to scurry out of sight of the nearing light. Once again Dijonay huddled behind Renée, starting at the sight of spiders scrambling back into hiding and yelping when she heard bones clatter out of place at their feet.

The longer they were in this wide chamber the tenser the air became, thickening to the point where, just as before the cave-in, they felt as though something were observing them from afar. Skin crawling, Renée gripped the hilt of her sword, her eyebrows slowly drawing into a frown as her eyes narrowed.

Another draft whisked past them, toying with the already wild flame. Link glanced at it and in the process became aware of a distant glow somewhere ahead of them. "Hey…do you see that?"

"The exit?" Brent guessed, also noticing the far-off, palely hued aura.

"Maybe." Link picked up his pace. "But I don't remember seeing it before."

If the already edgy air could get any tenser it did as the group marched towards the light, striking them with such a powerful spell of adrenaline that their hearts began to hammer. Brent and Link received a greater dosage, for soon their ears were overrun with the sound of soft, eerie whispering.

Just when they reached the outskirts of the light the two eased to a halt, forcing Renée and Dijonay to do the same.

"What is it?" Renée searched their tinted surroundings, and with the soft blue light being closer found that she could now see just how far the skeletal heaps stretched. Extending from wall to wall, their combined amount made the place look like the aftermath of a bloody battle, or even the result of a massive genocide. But at the sight of the clothed corpses that were situated in the niches running the perimeter of the area, she was left to believe that this place was probably just another section of the catacombs.

"You can't hear that?" Brent barely passed her a look over his shoulder.

"Hear what?" Dijonay asked and faintly Renée could feel her trembling.

"That…" Link trailed off and fell silent for a moment. "…It's gone."

"What's gone?" Renée demanded, her heart climbing into her throat. "Do either of you care to clue us in?"

But Link didn't reply, instead turning his eyes from one part of the ossuary to another. "I just thought…that…"

He cut himself off, suddenly spotting a cloud of purple smoke gathering near the ceiling. Following his stationary gaze the others also looked up and watched, wide-eyed, as the descending mist took on a decrepit, humanoid form.

With its horned head bowed away from them, all they could clearly perceive was the cavernous hole that carved out the area where its heart should be. But as their eyes slowly dropped to follow its form, they noticed that the solid shape of its skeletal body faded at the waist, where the violet smoke that gave it form sank into a small, black marble plinth.

"Aim for its eye." Katrina raised her bow and positioned an arrow to target her suggested mark.

Mutely agreeing with her Mekial focused all of his attention on that part of their opponent, the words of a spell already forming in his mind.

Katrina's grip tightened on her arrow's fletching and she scrunched one eye shut, lifting her weapon until the phantom's eye was in her path of trajectory. Satisfied with the positioning her fingertips flinched, but when the skeleton's gaze suddenly shifted to the side she hastily reclaimed her grasp.

Now ignorant of the two before it the beast turned away from them, its clawed hands pushing mounds of bones aside as it moved.

Mekial straightened up a little. "What's it –?"

Dijonay stiffened when the titan's gleaming red eye showed itself to her and the others. At the same time Renée's hold on her sword hilt tightened while Brent and Link reached for their own weapons.

As the horned beast rotated, the purple mist streaming from its mouth was suddenly vacuumed back into its being. With its single eye brightening it brought its head closer to them, golden light shining in the rear of its throat.

Moving on instinct the four dove into the bones just as a storm of flames roared out of the beast's mouth, leaving little more than a path of charred bones in its wake.

To the skeleton's rear Mekial and Katrina looked at one another, then sprinted forth to find what it had tried to destroy.

_"Seekers of the Eye…" _The creature pushed away from the scorched ground, its single eye gleaming. _"Intruders…"_

Shrugging off the limbs of the dead Link noisily climbed to his feet and watched as the beast hoisted itself away from the ground. Even as he viewed it something familiar warmed his hand and looking down, he saw that the ruby was shining again. This time its entire form was radiating, pushing out a powerful crimson light that blended with the amber tone within it.

Its light intensifying with each passing second, Link raised his eyes to view the beast again. Sensing his intuitive stare, it rotated its head so that it could meet his gaze. Once it had him in its sight its red eye began to shine, taking on the same brilliance as that of the stone in Link's hand.

Undaunted by its ferocious countenance, Link's cerulean eyes held fast to the skeletal beast's glowing iris. It wasn't until the gemstone's temperature had increased a bit more did he glance down and as he did so, he noticed another red glow falling across the bone pit.

He looked up once more: the skeleton's eye was shining fiercer now and it was slowly leaning towards him, golden light shining in its throat.

"Link!" Reaching for her sword Renée ran to him.

But he didn't notice her, for his attention was utterly fastened on the decaying monster's nearing face. Soon he could see his reflection in its great eye, his features tinted by the hue of its beating, orange pupil.

The corners of Link's eyes flinched with familiarity and he searched the beast's face. "…Ptolemn?"

Instantly the monster froze and the light in its throat died.

Then slowly, it twisted its head away and diffused into a purple cloud that shriveled into several wisps of hazy smoke. In the arrival of a cold draft, they vanished without a trace.

Renée slowed to a stop, her hand falling limply.

Link, too, gazed at where the ghost had once loomed. But his train of thought veered off course when the heat in his hand spiked and looking down, he saw that the orange light of the ruby was beating faster than ever before.

"Link?!"

Drawn from his observation, Link lifted his eyes to find where the call had come from. Brent, Renée and Dijonay did the same, and as one they spotted a small, cloaked figure standing a fair distance away, his form outlined by the soft blue light suspended behind him.

Link squinted at the being and took a step forward. "Mekial?"

"Mekial?!" Upon identifying her brother's form, Renée's grave face broke into a grin. "Mekial!"

"Ren!" He waved his arms. "You guys made it!" As he spoke the group became aware of Katrina a few steps behind him.

"I am glad you both are all right!" Dijonay shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Mekial's arms fell. "What?"

"Oh, I will tell you when we are closer!"

"Huh?"

Both Dijonay and Renée laughed and hastened to meet up with him. Link and Brent followed.

Katrina walked to the edge of the circular, stone platform that the black plinth was built upon and squinted down to their nearing allies. Only just as they began to ascend the hill that connected their location to where she and Mekial were, her eyes were drawn to something else.

"…H-hey!" Her hands went for a new arrow. "Behind you!"

Brent and Link turned first and as they did a husky moan sounded in their ears. Searching the dimness for what Katrina was warning them of they soon spotted a mass of violet smoke sagging towards one of the intact skeletons. With a mysterious, disembodied sigh it sank into each of the rotten bones until it had been completely absorbed.

No sooner had the smog seeped into the skeleton did red lights flash in its empty eye sockets. In the next instant its entire body visibly rattled and then, as though being raised by a puppet master, it swung out of the boney pile to stand at a towering seven feet, a heavy, rusted iron sword clasped in each of its skeletal hands.

Sparing no time Link drew his own sword and launched at the undead beast, hacking into it with two quick slashes that instantly made it crumble to the ground.

"Mekial!" He rotated to face the boy. "Blow it up!"

Overcoming his surprise for the sudden violent order Mekial stretched his hands to the collapsed skeleton and uttered the chant for the requested spell. At its conclusion he swung his hands apart and a plume of smoke wrapped around the beast's remains, darkening and blooming as if it were emerging from an actual fire.

In the next second it spat sparks and erupted into a full-out explosion, blasting gales into the surrounding bone-piles and making some of the body parts shoot off like rockets.

As the smoke cleared Link loosened his stance. But once he was able to see through the fading cloud he saw that the skeletal warrior's body was trembling viciously, piecing itself together until it was towering over him once more. Marking him with its gleaming red eyes, it lifted its swords with a shrill yell.

Right before its blades swung down Link back-flipped out of range and switched the Master Sword for his bow, arrows, and a bomb. Once he attached the explosive to the arrowhead it lit of its own accord and after shouting for the others to clear out of the way, he aimed and released.

The bomb-arrow detonated on contact, devouring the red-eyed monster in a fearsome outbreak of flames and gunpowder. But when the smoke cleared the beast was still standing, its swords crossed before it in an X of protection. Growling quietly, it lowered the blades just enough to relocate Link with one of its glowing red eyes.

Link lowered his bow only slightly while the creature dropped its arms completely, stomping towards him with the edges of its swords dragging through the dirt. Even as it walked that same, purple haze from earlier began to curl off of its form.

Behind him Link heard Dijonay release a scream and whilst taking a retreating step, he shifted his attention to his peripheral view. Through this limited sight he spotted several more clouds of purple mist descending into the bone pit, where they soaked into more of the fleshless bodies.

Like the advancing Stalfos before him the bodies that the mist took started to rattle, and filled the air with high-pitched squeals as they were imbued with life. Here and there random body parts soared across the room to join with the waking dead, completing broken legs and ribcages or adding extra limbs altogether.

Renée unsheathed her sword when a skeleton near her came to life, floating onto its feet so that it was standing only a couple of meters in front of her. Resting its luminous eyes on her it blocked her path, preventing her from reaching Mekial and Katrina.

Hearing the clutter of more bones from behind them, the mage and archer spiraled. There, they saw that more fog was descending to reanimate the fallen carcasses. It wasn't long until there were enough armed skeletons standing to have made up a small town militia.

Backing away from the undead warrior before him, Link whirled around and fired another bomb-arrow, catching Renée's opponent off guard and leaving it to crumble to the ground in a heap.

_"Go!" _he shouted and weapons still bared Renée, Brent and Dijonay hastened up the hill towards the platform. As they went Link nocked another bomb arrow and spun to retarget the Stalfos he had battled initially. Without hesitation he fired and the beast collapsed in a smoldering inferno just as its ally previous.

With the remaining monsters sliding their feet through the pit in his direction, Link dodged up the incline to join his allies on the platform and then refaced the nearing army with another bomb arrow raised. Only just as he made to fire at a new enemy, the one he had recently destroyed sprang to life again, jaws unhinging to emit a ghostly growl of purple smoke.

Mekial blasted one of the four-armed skeletons with another spell of detonation. But instead of collapsing as he had originally thought it would do the beast remained, four blades up in self-defense. When the last of his flames diffused, it continued to make its way towards them.

"This is impossible!" he burst angrily. "They just keep coming back!"

Twirling her sword, Renée's eyes roved across the vault, gauging their circumstances, and her eyes swung to the left when one of the skeletons made it to the platform. No sooner had it done so did Mekial irritably blast it with a ray of light, which broke off into smaller stems that coiled around its shoulders, spine, hips and neck.

Once sure that he had grabbed the most important joints Mekial clenched his hands into fists and tugged them towards his body. In the same instant the glowing ropes he had created wrenched the skeleton apart, hauling its head in one direction, its arms in the other and yanking its torso clean off its legs.

But even while the body parts were still soaring through the air the purple mist caught them, drawing them back together until the reanimated creature was whole once more.

Renée drew her knife out of the sheath on her leg and readied her stance when the renewed beast turned its red eyes to her. With its mandibles pumping in a way that suggested laughter, it marked her as a new target and approached.

As it did, her gaze jumped to the nearby plinth where, by light of Mekial's suspended orb, she could make out the shape of three familiar words. Her eyes lit up and simultaneously, were caught by a brightening, orange light.

Identifying where it was coming from, she raised her voice, "Link! The stone!"

Bow still raised, Link looked at his right hand to see the orange light of the ruby stemming through his fingers. Maintaining a grasp on his weapon's handle he opened his hand enough to see half of the stone's face, from which it pushed out a short, rotating ray of light that swung to point at the plinth.

"Take it!" He tossed the stone over his shoulder and after quickly sticking her knife back into her sheath Renée snatched it out of the air.

In two strides she was in front of the pedestal and speedily studied it surface. Like the door at the crypt's entrance two rings were carved into its face with three triangles situated above it. In the center of the circles was a small groove but in contrast to the catacomb's initial doorway, this indent was horizontal.

At the arrival of a ruthless, guttural yell Renée's eyes shot up to land on the Stalfos that was still marching towards her. Lifting its four swords with each nearing step its jaw unhinged with the duration of its cry, permitting a soft wisp of purple smoke to drift out.

Her eyebrows drawing together in defiance, Renée slammed the stone into the indentation and twisted it to the side, locking the gem in a vertical position.

A deep thumping like that of a pounding heart boomed all around them and the gem unleashed a pulse of orange light that swept across the room. A rush of wind blasted into the skeletons, killing the lights in their eyes and casting out the violet smoke that had inhabited them.

As the wave of light blew across the chamber, the clumps of exorcised mist amassed and the horned phantom reappeared. Its glowing eye almost immediately dropped to the pedestal and roaring viciously, it dove for the ruby embedded in its surface.

But right when its chipped fingernails grazed the stone's surface a pillar of amber light surged out of it, enclosing the dais as well as the ghost itself.

Unleashing another booming scream the ghost clutched the hole in its chest and its head snapped back, bobbling in the powerful gusts that pumped out of the gem. With each great wind strips of its decayed flesh were torn off of its body, blown away like strips of shredded cloth, and pieces of its horns followed.

With one final, rushing gale, the last of the rotten skin was eradicated, leaving nothing but a perfect, human skeleton, clothed in the faded, tattered remnants of decorative clothing.

Then, unbeknownst to its former enemies, another red eye appeared in its left eye socket.

The pillar of light intensified at that moment, increasing to an extreme white that was strenuous on the eyes. Raising their arms the group ducked away from the shine to preserve their sight.

After a few seconds Renée recovered first, her brow furrowed as she squinted over her forearms to see what was left of their ghoulish adversary. But to her surprise she didn't lay eyes upon a horned monstrosity: instead she found herself viewing the apparition of a healthy, green-eyed man, his curly brown hair sifting in the waning winds of the gemstone.

His garb was full, colorful and clean, and his youthful face was carved into a placid smile. The only thing that connected him to the ferocious creature that had sought their destruction was the wound in his chest, but not even it looked the same – for, rather than a gaping hole, it had taken on the form of a raised scar.

The longer Renée peered up at the man's serene features, the more she came to feel as if she knew him somehow. But, where could she have possibly seen him before?

Before she could even try to figure out the answer the white illumination died, taking the man's spirit with it and replacing her in the dark bone pit.

The ruby thumped again and the circular marks and triangles carved around it emitted an orange radiance, giving it the appearance of an actual eye. An array of crisscrossing lines and symbols then burst out of the stone's glassy structure and blasted down the plinth's sides to shoot through the platform. Upon reaching the dais's edges the ground lurched, forcing those upon it to stagger.

A quiet roar followed and the circular area rose, climbing into the darkness of the pit's ceiling to leave the deathly labyrinth behind. Soon not even Mekial's light could reach them, and they were left to rely on the shine radiating off of the gemstone and the symbols that were glowing in the ground.

At last a second light source became apparent. Tilting their heads back, the group watched as they drew nearer to the illumination, which was streaming from a large, circular opening up above. The enchanted elevator lifted them through this hole, showing them to a circular, torchlit room with a single doorway opposite the pedestal.

As the ground locked into place the markings on the floor shriveled away and the light flowing from the ruby vanished, allowing the illumination of the crackling torches to take over.

With her heart rate slowing to a normal pace, Renée sheathed her sword and dropped her chin to reread the words that had been carved into the plinth ages prior:

_Ka ◊ Noh ◊ Vah_

Linking the sight to the same etchings found at the entrance to the catacombs, her mind suddenly drew her back to the outdoor decorations of the Church.

Then her eyes lit up. "The statue in the plaza…"

"What was that about?" Brent's voice drew her back to the present and she spun around to see him. "And those skeletons…they wouldn't die!"

"That one-eyed skeleton was definitely a phantom," Mekial told him. "I've never sensed anything with a presence so…powerful."

"I think… I think it might have been Ptolemn," Renée spoke up, attracting everyone's eyes. Link's were the only ones where agreement was visible.

"What makes you say that?" Brent asked.

"Well… I saw him."

"You _saw_ Ptolemn?" Katrina echoed.

"Yeah…" Renée looked between them cautiously. "Didn't you guys?"

"Well, I was blocking my eyes…" Brent admitted.

"Same," Mekial added.

Renée shifted her gaze to Link and Katrina. But judging from their expressions, she presumed that neither of them had seen the king either.

"It's not that we don't believe you, Ren," Brent assured her, noticing her troubled look. "It's just, we didn't see."

"Yeah…"

"Wait." Mekial's eyes flashed with remembrance. "Isn't Ptolemn the king that got assassinated? And his Eye supposedly helps people find their way through the maze?"

"The Eye of Ptolemn…" Brent murmured and at his words Mekial faced him. Unaware of his inquisitive stare Brent directed his view to the plinth, where the ruby had now taken on a wholly orange hue. "Even if that king's spirit was there, how could he and that phantom be the same person?"

"I don't know," Renée followed her eyes to the orange rock. "But, both of them had a chest wound, like they'd been stabbed. …Maybe this is what Dad meant when he said the catacombs were haunted."

"You mean like…Ptolemn's spirit haunts the catacombs out of revenge or something?" Mekial picked out.

Renée turned her face to him. "Maybe. Or maybe he was cursed to be that way. After all…" She looked back at the stone. "Putting the stone there seemed to make him…human again."

"It _was_ said that King Ptolemn was stabbed through the heart," Dijonay recalled quietly. "In that light, it may be safe to presume that because the catacombs were made in his memory, he acts as a guardian to ensure that only kings and their families pass through the maze."

Renée crossed her arms. "That sounds reasonable, I guess. Considering everything else we've witnessed so far."

"You mean like talking trees, fainting dragons, giant holes and huge, rock-eating monsters?" Mekial clarified.

"Yeah. And then some."

"Either way, it's over now. Thanks to that thing." Link looked at the gemstone and Renée cleared her throat. He smirked. "And you, for finding it in the first place."

A childish grin graced her features. "Why, thank you."

"Yep…" Brent sent her an amused smile. "I've gotta commend your weird curiosity for that one."

She smiled dryly. "Appreciate it."

"All right…" His smile fading, Link shifted his attention to the lone hallway. "Let's see where we are."

As he entered the passage with the others behind him, Dijonay approached Renée and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just so you know, Renée," she began, "you were not imagining things: I saw the king as well."

She smiled kindly and grateful for her coming forth with her testimony, Renée tipped her head to her and smiled back. They then hurried to catch up with the others and at the end of the corridor, strode onto the choir of a chapel.

Before them was a waist-high altar, its mahogany form shrouded beneath a pure white cloth, and overhead hung a wide chandelier, its ostentatious pieces glittering famously in the torchlight. Following the length of the center aisle was a crimson rug, which led to a tall, rectangular doorway. Even from where they stood they could tell that the oak doors were partly ajar, for the cold winds they had continuously felt while underground were slipping through them.

Upon reaching them, Brent and Link pushed the heavy doors open, making way for the rest of them to file into the cold world outside. Effortlessly, their eyes adjusted to the dimness and they each stepped away from the threshold to stand on the sanctuary's front steps.

Only a few feet away from the bottom of the staircase was a vast pool, its dark waters reflecting the black abyss of the sky. Positioned on its left and right were gardens that seemed to wrap around the entire courtyard, but from what the group could see the countless plants that had been sown into those allotted fields were withered and dry, their dead leaves and petals having long since shriveled up and plummeted to the ground.

Approaching the first stair, Link turned his eyes to the wide walkway that stretched away from the pool to reach a pair of grandiose doors. Shifting his sights to the shadowy building that the moveable barriers were connected to, he distinguished the sight of the Palace of Albaan, golden shafts of light twinkling through its ornate windows. Judging by their present location and the view that he now had of it, he assumed they were at the manor's back entrance.

"It's quiet," Katrina observed, joining him in his study.

"Yeah." He dropped his eyes to the dark grounds beyond the gardens. "It doesn't sound like the argorok's here anymore."

"Could he have left?" Renée pitched in. "Or…"

"Whatever the case is, we should keep going," Brent said and in unified agreement they went down to the pool and made to circle around it so as to reach the palace's rear doors.

At the water's corner, Link's eyes darted to the left and with his heart leaping he reached out and snatched Mekial by the back of his cloak, hauling him clear out of the way of a silver, double-bladed axe.

Mekial just barely pushed out a grunt when Link shoved him back and brought up his shield to guard a follow-up strike. Right when the assailant lifted his weapon to attack again Brent moved in, whirling his staff towards the man's head.

The armored being easily blocked the hit and jumped back. As he landed, Mekial's signature ball of light exploded into existence, catching his empty, midnight eyes.

Something whistled in Katrina's ears and swinging around, she flipped out of the path of a gray light that left a smoldering scorch mark where she had once been standing. Reflexively she whipped her bow out of her quiver and loaded it, scouring the darkness by way of Mekial's light for her attacker.

Standing on the opposite end of the pool Morbex lowered his hand, his jaw set and cherry eyes narrowed with fortitude.

Katrina's grip on her bowstring tightened and she ground her teeth; Mekial, spying Morbex's distant form, tossed his cloak over his shoulders. Behind them Link, Brent and Renée bared their weapons as Kelvis prepared his.

"Morbex!" Dijonay came out from behind Mekial, one hand clenched over her chest as a frosty wind blew past. But he didn't respond.

There was nothing to say – no words to spare for incessant enemies like them.

His features blackened threateningly and he raised his hands; between them a piercing light flickered and flashed, spewing bolts of electricity that sizzled manically.

* * *

**Next: May 17th.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Forty-Eight**

Reading Morbex's intent, Dijonay's hand went up for her lance. Behind her Mekial raised his arms, already beginning the chant for a spell of protection. But at a spark of light overhead, he stopped and looked up.

Immediately his eyes broadened in horror, reflecting the sight of the unnatural, sporadic ball of electricity that was now flashing over them.

Goosebumps blazing across his skin Mekial looked back at Morbex: the sparks of jagged lightning that had been shooting between his hands were now flashing with greater ferocity.

Redirecting his attention to the erratic lightshow, Mekial widened his stance. _"Duck!"_

At his shout the others hit the dirt and he threw his hands towards the sky. From his palms a cloud of clear mist erupted, bending to curve around he and his allies and it solidified just as Morbex's spell hurtled down like divine lightning, splitting all ears with the clamorous crash of thunder.

Mekial's knees buckled almost instantly and his lips curled back. A grunt soon slipped through his clenched teeth and with a forceful push of magic, it bloomed into a loud cry.

Imbued with his extra burst of strength his shield flashed, mirroring the effects of Morbex's spell and utterly cancelling it out: thick bolts of electricity zipped into the pool while others shot off to destroy parts of the chapel's exterior, littering the dry ground with slabs of jagged stone.

"Mekial, Katrina –" Brent glanced back at them and then let his eyes shoot across the pool to Morbex, who was getting ready to reuse the same spell: between his raised hands another ball of light was flashing wildly, spitting sparks that flared around him. As the spell commenced its illumination brightened, catching the fortitude that burned in his cherry eyes. "Try to keep him busy!"

Rising to his feet Brent launched himself at Kelvis, barraging him with a whirling offence that made the air ring with the din of metal against metal. Renée and Link sprang forth to aid him.

Loosing her bowstring, Katrina let fly an arrow that Morbex easily sidestepped, thus distracting him from his spell. Taking advantage of this Mekial threw his hands out and beneath Morbex's feet the ground lurched, then birthed a series of stalagmites that made to seal him in an earthy shell.

With a simple wave of his hand Morbex blasted the stone away and then fired the same attack at Mekial. Seeing the incoming fireball the boy twirled backward, one arm raised, and right when the spell was about to make contact he swung his arm down, splitting the incoming flame with a piercing wind that blasted across the pool.

Again Morbex sidestepped then shifted his footing to avoid another of Katrina's arrows. She hastily followed up with another projectile that he also dodged and so, unrelenting, she fired another – this time he stretched his hand to it and once it was under his control he flicked his wrist, making it flip around and shoot back at her.

Dodging the strike Katrina fired another arrow to which Morbex performed the same tactic. Avoiding the hit again she slipped her bow back into her quiver and pushed her knives out of her sleeves, then sprinted along the perimeter of the pool to engage in close-range combat.

Realizing what she meant to do Morbex straightened his fingers and drove his hand towards the pool. As his flexed extremities neared the water's surface, the liquid caved away from him; a little ways in front of the depression, a jet of water burst into the sky and then curved to douse Katrina like a waterfall.

Knowing she couldn't outrun the flood Katrina stopped and brought her arms up to shield herself. But rather than consume her, the geyser split around her as if it had hit a sturdy umbrella.

When the last of the water splattered to the tiled pavement she lowered her arms, then sucked in a gasp when a pillar of stone burst out of the ground, firing her into the air. Quickly throwing herself out of her surprise she used Mekial's spell to her advantage, somersaulting in midair so as to regain control of her flying form. As soon as her feet touched ground she shot forward, knives bared.

Taking steps of retreat Morbex threw up a transparent, purple shield that blocked Katrina's first strike. With another backward step he threw up another, temporary barrier that guarded her next hit. Recovering quickly she tried to strike him again, only to have her knives bounce off of a third shield.

As the barrier faded Morbex's hands flashed and an unseen force crashed into her front, blowing her backward. Digging her heels into the ground she skidded back and upon raising her eyes saw Morbex raise his hand again.

Buckling her knees Katrina prepared to jump out of the way – but her thoughts temporarily froze when another being landed in front of her.

Dijonay hastily reclaimed her balance to keep from skidding, and met Morbex's eyes with a solemn glare. Then she launched into the attack, slashing and swinging her lance in order to break his guard. Whenever she thought she spotted an opening she would quickly flip her weapon around to nail his head with the butt end but he kept moving, ducking and jumping out of range.

Then, with a brief flashing of his hands Morbex sent Dijonay flying backward. Katrina speedily took her place, and managed to forcefully rush his defenses before she, too, was blown back.

Gritting her teeth, she again held herself to the ground to keep from toppling over. When she came to a stop, she traded her knives for her bow and lifted her voice for Dijonay to hear, "Together!"

Dijonay glanced at her and understanding her implication, she pushed forth to engage Morbex once again. Behind her, Katrina prepared another arrow.

His stoic expression unbreakable Kelvis kept up with Brent's speed, blocking, countering and dodging his strikes. But without warning Brent switched places with Link and consequently forced to change tactics, Kelvis nimbly flipped out of reach.

Predicting this Link moved in again, putting his all into close, powerful strikes that Kelvis either guarded or simply hopped out of the way of. But, so absorbed was the axmen in this fight that he just barely managed to spot Brent arrive and whale him with his staff, blowing him clean off his feet.

With little more than a grunt Kelvis tumbled through the yard and slammed into a stone flowerpot, completely bowling it over. Uninjured thanks to his armor he easily got back to his feet, then speedily brought up his ax when Renée appeared, storming his defenses.

Attacking in quick bursts of energy she thrust, stabbed and slashed and then ducked into a low strike that Kelvis smoothly hopped over. Upon landing he forced her to switch roles, overwhelming her with a strong aggression that forced her to retreat.

Regardless, Renée was not one to easily break: her face darkened by severity she blocked and avoided his hits, parrying when able and ducking out of range when not.

But when Kelvis unleashed a powerful jet stream she stumbled, giving him an opening to bear down on her slip-up with such nimble, fluid movements that, had she not known any better, she would have believed she was fighting another swordsman. Soon noticing a shifting figure in her side vision she seized the chance to fall back, back flipping into the shadows as Brent and Link took her position and tag-teamed the axmen with a ferocious onslaught of staff and sword. But as before Kelvis maintained his ground, watching and predicting their movements until he chanced to switch roles once again.

As Dijonay ran towards him Morbex raised his hand, allowing streaks of jagged blue light to fire between his fingertips. But right when he made to release the spell an arrow caught the cuff of his sleeve, hauling his entire arm back so that he was pinned to a tree.

Startled, he looked up at the arrow only to whip back around at the sound of Dijonay's hastening feet. Pinpointing her location he waved his hand, throwing her back with a blast of magic, and then returned his attention to the arrow. After a couple of small pulls he yanked the projectile out of the tree and lowering it, he shifted his narrowing eyes to Katrina.

Tossing the bit of metal-tipped wood to the ground he stepped forward, but stopped at a tumultuous roar of gushing water. Directing his eyes to the right he slid one foot back, his face overcome with mild surprise at the sight of a black wave rising to tower over him.

No sooner had he become aware of the tidal wave did it swoop towards him, and on instinct he threw his arms up, ducking down and buckling his knees in preparation of impact. But even after bracing himself, he wasn't fully prepared for the water's force and emitted a gurgled cry as the wave carried him across the garden.

Little more than a winded grunt escaped him when the wave slammed him against a set of stairs that jutted out of a hill. Coughing and choking he got to his feet, flipping clumps of wet, silver hair out of his eyes and slipping in the mud that now crowded his feet.

Blinking through the water droplets that clung to his lashes, he dropped his eyes to find Katrina and Dijonay making a beeline for his location. Setting his jaw he readied himself for the approach, only to be ultimately distracted by the sight of ripples forming in the puddles surrounding him. Tubes of water climbed out of the small pools next and realizing what was occurring, Morbex made to defend himself.

But he was too slow and the tendrils wrapped around him, combining into one thick, watery limb that consumed him from the chest down.

Having moved his position to the other side of the pool Mekial flourished his arms, manipulating the water as it continued to coil around his opponent. Once sure that the nobleman was immobilized he pushed out a soft breath to ease his nerves, and the stone in his forehead began to glow.

As its light increased to a shine that closed him in a violet aura, he extended his hands to the water limb. Eyes locked upon it his fingertips began to cool, matching the frigidness of the air around him.

_"Cool the energy…"_

Mentally chanting Morbex's instructions from so long ago, Mekial concentrated on the magic seeping out of him, watching as the chilled energy began to thicken into a fog that wrapped around his hands. With the light in his forehead shining ever brighter he pushed out another steady stream of magic, cooling the fog to the point where it began to twist into the air like smoke.

Soon, the vapor's rapid decrease in temperature became more apparent, so much in fact that Mekial actually felt his fingers were getting numb. Assuming that now was the time for execution, he drew in a lungful of air and cupped his misty hands around his mouth.

Then, he blew.

Immediately a frigid gale explode from his mouth, blasting across the garden like a cannonball to slam headstrong into Morbex. Sensing a sudden stiffness by his feet the prince looked down and sucked in a gasp when he saw that the water encasing him was hardening, solidifying into a frozen block of berg that paralyzed him from his midsection down.

Vexed by his own carelessness he lifted his red eyes, burning his gaze through the gloom to pinpoint Mekial with a violent glare.

With the stone in his forehead dimming Mekial squinted through the darkness to see if he had succeeded. Finding that he had a wild grin blazed across his lips and he jumped into the air, fists pumping. _"Yes!_ Who's awesome?! _I am!"_

Kelvis ducked beneath a wide sweep of Brent's staff and fell back just as Renée darted in to assault him with a series of quick strikes. At last he managed to push her back and a centered cyclone erupted around him, blowing into his enemies: Renée tumbled into Brent, knocking him to the ground and Link was forced into a backwards somersault.

Temporarily freed from battle Kelvis took a moment to catch his breath and readjusted the hold on his ax. Only right after he had done so a large, spherical object became apparent in his peripheral sight, zooming towards him at such a fast speed that he couldn't properly identify it. Instinctively he raised his ax to protect himself, only to have his knees buckle and his guard nearly break when the projectile slammed into him with enough force to nearly bowl him over.

Regaining his footing, he looked down to see what it was that had assailed him: it was a large, metal ball with four spikes sticking out of it. As Kelvis stared at it, the long chain of metal links that it was connected to retreated noisily, hauling the sphere into the dimness.

Link's knees buckled when the metal ball slammed back into his arms. Gritting his teeth, he flexed his muscles and whirled it around his head like a lasso then launched it, the metal links clanking between his fingers as the sphere shot across the yard.

Again Kelvis brought up his ax to protect himself and again he lost his footing. The heel of his boot slid over the edge of the pool and with gravity ensnaring him, he toppled inside.

Renée, Brent and Link ran in after him, jumping off the edge of the pool's frame to land in the ankle-deep water below. Kelvis was already standing there waiting for them, having turned his fall into an agile landing, and without allowing for them to accustom to their new surroundings he sprinted forth, eyes locked on Link.

Without a breath of hesitation Link dove over Kelvis' ax as he swung it at him and rolled through the water, circling behind him. From here he thrust his sword through the man's cape, and the edge of his blade caught the straps of his armor pads. Feeling their resistance Link slashed up, hacking the armor right off.

Noticing the weight suddenly drop from his shoulders Kelvis made to round on Link, but upon spotting something out of the corner of his eye he prepared to counter instead.

Unfortunately for him, Brent's movement was a feint and he changed his stance, flipping his staff around and sending it crashing into Kelvis' side. The wind knocked out of him, the axmen skidded face-first into the shallow water and after a quick shake of his head, rolled to the side before Brent could hit him again.

Jumping to his feet he refaced Link and Brent, and instantly became aware of the absence of one face. Hearing a faint splash behind him he twisted around, and caught sight of Renée twirl into a crouch; as she came up she slammed the hilt of her sword into his side enough to make him stumble, and Brent followed up with a strike that made him stagger even more.

Thus with his sense of balance knocked askew, Kelvis wasn't able to see Link whip an item out of his belt pouch and fling it forward. All the axmen knew was that something rough and hard slammed into his forehead and, blinking angrily, he attempted to spiral and find where the spontaneous projectile had come from.

But then the Gale Boomerang, whirling in its self-made tornado, swung back around and crashed into the back of his skull, making him teeter.

Link's arm snapped back when the boomerang flipped back into his grasp, and Kelvis squinted at his narrow-eyed form in reeling confusion. Then his eyes rolled and with the grip on his ax going slack, he collapsed with a dull splash.

Morbex watched mutely as Dijonay climbed the stairs to reach his frozen form. It wasn't until she was at least two steps down did he notice the deep sorrow that hung in her eyes, but even then his scowl didn't yield.

Seeing this, Dijonay forced her face to harden and yet, the longer she held his heartless glower, the less she was able to keep her soul from sinking with despair.

Stopping one stair below him, she tightened the grasp on her lance. If Tentra really had altered his personality, she hoped he paid dearly for it.

"Dijonay – _focus!"_

"Eh?"

Barely did Dijonay peek down the stairs to find Katrina, who was running up the stairs, before rounding back on Morbex, where her eyes dropped to a red light stemming from his hands. No sooner had she seen it did it increase to blinding strength, and in the next instant the ice cage ruptured, slamming her with a heavy gale that took her feet from under her.

Screaming, she toppled down the stairs and crashed into Katrina, knocking her over. At the same time slabs of ice fired in every which direction, stabbing into the wet ground or driving into tree trunks as wind raced through the garden.

"H-hey…" Katrina sat up and looked towards the girl that was planking her lap. "Are you all right?"

"Yes…" Dijonay mumbled and pulled away from her, holding her head.

Near the top of the stairs Morbex flexed his fingers and then dropped his eyes to the pair. Setting his jaw he marched towards them, and with a mere narrowing of his eyes orange flames ignited in his hands.

Just as he lifted an arm to take aim at the two, a blast of water flooded his face. Anger skyrocketing, Morbex glared across the courtyard when the liquid ceased and effortlessly, he marked Mekial as the culprit.

Seeing that Morbex's red eyes were now on him Mekial waved his arms again, charging the prince's face with another blast of water. Morbex's arms flailed involuntarily and had the situation not been so serious, Mekial would have laughed aloud.

But when Morbex's livid stare found him once more his spirits dulled and a bodiless entity closed around his torso, nearly choking off his breath. Grunting he kicked fiercely, as if that could release the grasp of whatever was holding him, and the short cry flowed into a loud yell as he was whisked into the dark sky.

Hearing his cry, Dijonay searched for him. _"Mekial!"_

Flailing, the boy could do nothing but kick and scream as he was lifted higher and higher into the air. Upon reaching a certain altitude, the hold on his waist clenched and he was hauled back to the earth so quickly that tears blurred his sight.

Dijonay's face crinkled with fright and tears sprang into her eyes. "No – _stop!"_

Launching to her feet, Katrina hopped over the shaken girl and sprinted up the stairs. Hearing her approach Morbex leveled his emotionless eyes to her, thus distracting him from his present feat. Noticing the unhinging of the magic Mekial conjured up a wind to save him before he could splatter against the earth.

At the same time Katrina fired a high kick that smashed Morbex's face straight into the ground. Spinning, she swung up her opposite leg and brought it down in a powerful ax kick that slammed into his spine.

Morbex cried out and then with a flip of his wrist made Katrina's feet swing out from beneath her. She kipped up instantly and he pushed back to his feet, then resorted to throwing up temporary shields to protect himself from her next assault of kicks, all of which she fired in rapid succession. Just as she ducked down to hook her foot around the back of his knee Dijonay rolled over her back, slamming her heels on their opponent.

Shaking off the stinging of his shoulders Morbex backed away and as with Katrina, created small shields to counter Dijonay's sequence of slashes and thrusts. At the sight of the smallest opening she would deliver a hasty feint and aim for his head, only to have her weapon rebound off his shields. She recovered from the ricochets quickly and after one she suddenly ducked, permitting Katrina to flip over her and pick up where her previous kicking had left off.

Once again Morbex thought he could catch her off guard and he made to attack, only to stop when both Katrina and Dijonay slid out of the way, putting Mekial right in his line of sight.

Before Morbex could react Mekial flourished his arms, flipping him into the air with a circling gale. With another graceful sweep of his arm he flung Morbex's midair form to the side, slamming him against a tree trunk.

Moaning faintly, Morbex slipped to the ground and pulled away from the wooden bark whilst gripping his head. Soon his fuzzy senses clarified enough for him to notice the sound of advancing feet and redirecting his vision, he became aware of Dijonay's nearing form.

He flung his arm out clumsily, unleashing a wave of sparkling magic that she easily slid under. Closing the distance between them she shoved the bar of her lance under his chin and pushed off the ground, using the momentum of her dash to shoot up and over his head, swinging him into the air.

Then she landed, pulling her arms over her crouched body and slamming his head into the ground. A strangled grunt shoved its way through his clenched teeth and then his legs flopped to the grass lifelessly.

Panting, Dijonay slowly got to her feet, sliding her lance out from under his chin. Using her weapon to uphold her fatigued form, she kept her melancholic eyes on his inert body. It wasn't until Katrina and Mekial came up behind her did she look away.

"For someone…who lived a sheltered life," Mekial gasped as he reached them, "he's _not_ a pushover."

* * *

Link held silent, watching as Mekial levitated Kelvis' body out of the pool. The mage, too, remained mute, hands out as he carried the axmen over to the walkway that led to the back entrance of the palace. After laying the dark-haired man on the tiled pavement next to Morbex he dropped his arms, permitting his cloak to shroud his body.

Neither Morbex nor Kelvis had awoken since they had been defeated, their eyes sealed shut and their faces not even flinching as cold winds whisked over them, sifting through their hair and tickling their faintly flushed cheeks.

Mekial looked on at the peaceful pair along with everyone else for a moment, then took a small step closer. "Someone should probably stay to watch them, right?"

"I…" At the sound of her voice all eyes moved to Dijonay. "I will remain with them."

"Guess that means I am too, then," Mekial figured, looking back to Kelvis and Morbex. "…I wonder if knocking them on the heads really did anything."

Dijonay nodded, though remained silent.

"I'll stay, too," Renée spoke up, looking pointedly at Mekial. "You guys might need some help if something goes wrong." She didn't add that, more so than this, she wanted to keep her brother in her sights. She had nearly lost him in the catacombs after all; at least this way, she would be able to personally make sure that he stayed safe. "This way, we'll be able to at least hold them at bay while you guys go on ahead," she went on, facing the others. "Considering things don't work out."

"You're sure about that?" Brent inquired, detecting something in her tone.

"I'm sure." She viewed him confidently, despite her secret desire to see the end of this black empire with them. "And, if things do turn out well, they'll need to be briefed on everything. If that turns out to be the case, then we'll meet up with you later."

"All right." Assured by her poise, Brent turned to Link and Katrina to see what they would say. "Seems like the best plan we've got for now."

"Yeah," Link agreed.

Katrina didn't speak.

"…Katrina?" Brent called and with a start her eyes jumped to his face. "Are you staying or are you coming with us?"

Katrina took a moment to look from Dijonay, Mekial and Renée's faces to Kelvis and Morbex. Her lips curved into a frown. "I'm coming."

"All right. Then if things work out, all that's left is to find us," Brent said, turning to look to the three that would remain.

"I've got a feeling Malbex is probably in the topmost part of the palace," Link presumed, drawing his inference from a similar experience he had had the year before. "You'll probably be able to find us there."

Renée nodded.

"All right then." Link tipped his chin to them. "Stay safe."

"You too."

She, Dijonay and Mekial then watched as Link, Brent and Katrina hastened down the pavement to reach the grand walnut doors of the palace's rear entrance. As they got closer the trio slowed their pace and Link and Brent gripped each of the brass handles and pulled, drowning the air with the dull croak of moaning wood.

Once the entryway was opened a reasonable amount the group peered within: the baroque corridor beyond was dim and enormous, lit by decorative wall scones that filled the hall with a beautiful, yet subtle, amber radiance.

Uninterested in the exquisiteness of the palace's architecture the three wordlessly filed inside, descending into the manor's eerie silence without even the smallest breath of hesitation.

* * *

Light streamed through the doors of the throne room, falling across the tiled floor to reach the platform that held the ornate chair. Without pausing, the one that had opened the doors strode forth, following the long green rug that led to the dais and fixing his eyes upon the being that sat in it.

His elbow propped on the armrest so as to let his knuckles dig into his cheek, Malbex watched the visitor beneath a bothered frown. "What do you want?" he grumbled crossly, waving his free arm at the Triforce and enticing it to float up and away from him.

"I've been looking for you," Tentra replied, already well accustomed to the emperor's bouts of irritability. As he reached the foot of the dais he linked his hands behind his back and surveyed the dark room with his traditional, empty smile. When he next spoke, his tone was dripping the sarcasm: "Who would've ever thought that you'd be hiding out in a dark place like this?"

Malbex grunted, waiting for the man to make his purpose known.

"Anyway, I've got good news for you." Tentra dropped his eyes back to him.

"Oh? What is it?"

"Well, the soldiers are back inside. According to them the argorok is gone, courtesy of your brother."

Malbex scoffed, suddenly losing interest. "Of course _he _would get rid of it."

Tentra raised his eyebrows.

"If I remember correctly, I told you days ago that I wanted you to get rid of him." Malbex changed his seating so that his arms were resting on the chair's support. "But he's still here. Why?"

"Well," Tentra unlaced his fingers and eased his posture. "I didn't think it was necessary to kill him, honestly. Besides, if I had, that dragon would still be causing chaos on the palace grounds, wouldn't he?"

Malbex's scarlet eyes shone threateningly and his anger boiled like a volcano just about ready to erupt. "I told you, my _brother _is nothing more than a _nuisance_; a constant reminder of a life that I never want to remember."

"But is that really reason enough to kill him?"

"I find that more than enough!" the emperor exploded, jumping to his feet as his voice bounced around the high-vaulted chamber, and his fists shook at his sides.

Tentra's hollow zeal faded as he observed the man's shaking limbs and then he lifted them to his face.

"If you won't do anything about him," Malbex growled, his face twisting into an enraged glower, "then _I _will."

Tentra studied him silently. Though he was acquainted with Malbex's fluctuating temper, he understood that it had been flaring out of control recently. He wondered if taking Morbex's life would really appease the man's ire.

Deep down, he sincerely doubted it.

"Where is he?" Malbex demanded, his vocals booming around them. "I'll kill him _myself!"_

"…Don't trouble yourself, Malbex." Tentra took a step back, suggesting that he meant to leave presently. "I'll find him. After all…no one can stop you in this, right?"  
At that, an abrupt pain stabbed the side of Malbex's head, hitting him with a series of faded images that he couldn't clearly recall or even define. All he could make out was a pair of slim, black crimson eyes that seemed to bore into him, and paired with it broken words that were spoken by a strangely familiar voice:

_"…et…no one…st…ou…"_

Malbex shook the occurrence off and let his seething gaze settle on Tentra once more. To his perplexity, the dark red eyes flashed in his memories again as he looked at him.

Brushing the event off just as before, Malbex held Tentra's stare with a stone-cold glare. "No one," he echoed firmly.

Returning the statement with a stoic nod, Tentra turned and took his leave.

It seemed he could postpone the inevitable no longer.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One**

"N…ngh…"

Hearing the quiet moan Dijonay whirled around, and upon finding who had emitted the sound she dropped to his side. Renée and Mekial also turned and moved closer, peering over her shoulder to view the man's twitching face.

Releasing another soft groan Morbex's head rolled to the side and his silver lashes parted, revealing his unfocused eyes, which steadily opened beneath a creasing brow.

Spotting a pair of knees in front of him he lifted his focus to the person's face, and as he viewed her furry visage her lips parted, uttering something that his pounding head couldn't translate.

Moaning again, he scrunched his eyes shut.

"Morbex," Dijonay tried again, softer this time, and again he opened his eyes to her. This time he strained to concentrate on her and, gradually, her countenance sharpened enough for him to identify her as someone that was familiar.

"M…Miss…" One by one, he picked out her facial features and paired them with the name that was surfacing in his mind. "…Miss…Dijonay…?"

As if that alone cleared his senses, her features clarified enough for him to see her face crumple: her thin eyebrows drew together and with a quiet sniff she pulled her hands to her mouth.

"Y-you…" Morbex's eyes slid down to her cheeks, where he could just barely see thin trails of water. "You're…crying…?"

"Morbex…!" Her emotions bursting at the seams she fell upon him, wrapping her arms around him in evident gratitude. "Thank Nayru…!"

His head throbbed with a fresh surge of pain and after making the ache known she released him with a soft apology. "I…I am sorry…" She bowed her head and wiped her eyes furiously. "I am just…so glad…"

"Morbex." Dropping his eyes, Morbex looked down to see another two beings standing over him, though he couldn't properly see their faces. Strenuously, he shifted his blurry gaze to the person whom he figured was speaking and waited until the blob that made up her face solidified.

"M…Miss Renée?"

"How are you feeling?"

"I…" Morbex lifted a hand and clutched the side of his head. "I feel like I was slammed into a brick wall…"

"I apologize," Dijonay said again. "That was my fault."

Gingerly, Morbex pushed up into a sitting position and tersely stopped when the world spun around him. Keeping a hand glued to his skull he forced himself to focus on one spot, using it as a horizon line as he waited for everything else to balance out.

Once it had, he took a moment to perceive his surroundings, first viewing the nearly empty pool before observing the destroyed courtyard and the defaced chapel. "Where…where are we?"

Mekial started to answer, "This is the Palace –"

"– of Albaan," Morbex finished suddenly and he rubbed his face. "Right…"

To this, Renée, Mekial and Dijonay exchanged quick looks.

"Can you remember anything else?" Renée asked, watching him carefully.

"…Tentra…" At that the three once more looked between each other before granting him their undivided attention. "In the Mirror Chamber… I saw his eyes darkening and…and then…"

The trio waited for a moment, expecting him to continue. But when he didn't, they were left to conclude that that was where his memories cut off.

Caressing one of his temples Morbex mounted to his feet, only to sway when everything tilted dangerously. Dijonay instantly jumped up to brace him and hurriedly reinforced her hold upon realizing that his size now was much different than when he had been an imp. In his true, slender form he had to be close to Brent's height, looming over her by at least a foot or so compared to how he had once only made it to her waist.

Making sure to not rely on her too much Morbex balanced himself out, though kept a hand on her shoulder so as to remain upright. "What…what happened?"

"Well, I guess there's no use in beating around the bush." Renée folded her arms. "You tried to kill us."

Bewildered, Morbex stared at her and then moved his sight to the remains of the garden. Even as he observed the setting faint recollections of the recent event returned to him, hitting him with quick flashes of the things that he had done and tried to do to the people he had once considered his closest, if not first friends since leaving home.

"Right after we left the chapel," Renée pointed to the partly destroyed building. "But, it looks like getting clonked on the head knocked you back into your senses."

To this Morbex knit his light eyebrows in perplexity. "My senses…?"

Seeing that he was evidently confused Renée took to explaining the events that had occurred after the Mirror Chamber, starting with their arrival in the Twilight Realm and continuing with everything that had occurred in Kakariko Village. She also made sure to include the invasion of Alexandria Ruheart and the Shadows, which had in turn led to Brent's interrogation with her.

Through that interrogation, they discovered the possibility that Morbex, like Alexandria, had been brainwashed. Thus, they had ventured to the palace through the underground labyrinth, intending to return Morbex to normal before following up with ending Malbex's reign.

Morbex listened carefully, clinging to her every word in an effort for it to fully pull him into consciousness. At the conclusion of her description he surveyed the area once more, his mind piecing in bits of what had recently occurred for his own memories to reclaim.

"I…" He lowered his eyes, horrified and ashamed of his past actions, and he looked at the three around him. "I can't…even begin to tell you all how sorry I am. But…even then, I know that words can't make up for what I tried to do to you. Still…" His eyes dimmed with such authentic sorrow that it was nearly heart wrenching. "Apologizing now…is all I can do…"

"…Well, don't beat yourself up over it," Mekial piped up in an effort to encourage him. "I mean, it's not like you tried killing us because you wanted to. If you did, you'd be trying to shoot us up with lightning right now."

Morbex's spirits weren't lifted, as his heart bogged with the weight of his guilt. "But…you all are my first friends outside of Eldonis… To think that I would…"

"Well, as your friends we decided to come here and bonk you on the head 'cause we knew there was still good in you," Renée interrupted with a faint smile. "And it looks like it worked. But, if anything," her face began to fall, "I think the one who should be held accountable for everything that happened here is Tentra. Free will is a natural human right – and he took that away from you. …Even Ruheart."

At that she looked him over once more, noting how, similar to Alexandria, Morbex's state now made it feel as though she were standing in the presence of a completely different person.

The dark scowl that had once blanketed his face was gone, as was the malevolent aura that surrounded him like a terrible storm. Considering the circumstances, it was strange for such a peaceful person like Morbex – and even Alexandria – to have been capable of such violence. If such results were acquired by a spell conducted by Tentra then he was, without a doubt, someone to be reckoned with.

At the recollection of Tentra's abilities, she suddenly remembered something.

"When we were in Kakariko, the village shaman helped Ruheart remember everything she had forgotten while under Tentra's spell," she recalled. "During the ritual, she said she remembered running into you in the palace. You were talking about some sort of spells that your instructors were telling you to learn."

"That was…after the ceremony…" Morbex reminisced, dragging his mind back to the time she was hinting at. "My instructors were having me look into…" he squinted as his fogged brain groped for the details, "…into…vendarium…"

"Vendarium are spells, are they not?" Dijonay inquired and upon looking down at her, Morbex nodded in confirmation. "Can you remember the names of any of them?"

Again Morbex creased his brow and looked away in deep thought. "Aliore," he said finally. "Tentra was…actually the one who told me about it. But…I didn't want to use it. I never wanted to manipulate how people think… And then, the one time I actually tried…"

"…Kelvis is fine now," Renée piped up, watching the guilt wash over Morbex's features once more. At her statement he looked up and then over Dijonay's head, where, for the first time, the face of his closest friend was made known to him.

"Kelvis –!" He made a motion suggesting that he wanted to move closer but at a sharp throb in his head he stopped and clutched his skull with a wince.

"He is all right now," Dijonay assured him, her knees buckling beneath the weight Morbex unintentionally forced upon her. "As with you, we succeeded in knocking him unconscious – he will probably wake up soon, and will be in his normal state of mind."

To this relief found its way into Morbex' heart, but it wasn't strong enough to dismiss the curtain of concern that hung across his countenance.

"Morbex," Renée began and once more he directed his attention to her, "Ruheart mentioned that Aliore spell when she was regaining her memories. I don't know if it's related, but she also said that Tentra "changed" Malbex somehow…" She lowered her once crossed arms. "Is it possible for Aliore to just "change" people?"

"In…in a way," he answered slowly as his headache ebbed a little. "It twists the will of the one it's being used on… It's probably similar to what you all would call hypnosis."

"Hypnosis?" Mekial echoed. "So Aliore's suggestive?"

"In a rather persuasive way, in the most simplest of terms," Morbex replied, looking to him. "But, to be more accurate, Aliore makes it so that the victim's view on an extreme subject is switched, so that they disagree with their initial beliefs… Essentially, it makes them agree with the view of the one who cast the spell, making them easy to manipulate."

"And that's what happened to Kelvis, right?" Renée picked out. Morbex nodded solemnly.

Renée paused for a moment, working her wheeling thoughts into order before she made to articulate them. "Because of what Ruheart said, about Tentra "changing" Malbex, we all guessed that there was a chance that Malbex is under the same spell that Ruheart, you and Kelvis were under. Do you think…" She hesitated, anxious for how he would answer. "Do you think that's possible?"

To this Morbex gave no immediate response, for he wasn't sure of how much truth was in that statement. As far as he could presently recall, Malbex had always been an aggressive young man, ambitious in his ideals and adamant in his anger towards the Pact of Ramon.

_No…_

That wasn't right, no matter how much his steadily awakening consciousness wanted to believe it. Malbex hadn't always been so irritable, hadn't always been so frustrated and angry.

Something _had _happened to change him, hadn't it? Something that Alexandria hadn't clearly described, and that Morbex could just barely remember…

With his eyes narrowing in deepening thought, his gaze unwittingly slipped over to view Kelvis one more time. Looking at him now, the prince gradually began to recall the events that had led up to their first meeting: a foreigner, the dark-haired man had accidentally entered Eldonis as a child. After many excited debates between the king and High Council, he had been allowed to remain within the country and live amongst the nobility. Until his presence had been mostly deemed a non-threat in relation to the Pact, he had stayed in the care of Morbex and Malbex's uncle.

It hadn't been until after that had Malbex's interest in the Outside become more apparent. At every chance he had gotten, he had prodded Kelvis about the realm beyond the mountains, picking at his mind until he could start to envision that unknown world for himself.

Malbex hadn't been aggressive then. But, regardless…

_That may have started it all._

"…When Malbex was only nine years old," Morbex started, his eyes unfocused, "our family went to visit a newly refurbished town by the shoreline. It was there that he met Miss Alexandria: she was a poor orphan, living off of the streets… To this day, I don't know why he reached out to her. But…he did."

Hearing this, Dijonay's mind backtracked to Alexandria's underground prison hold, where she had peered into the woman's mind for at least the briefest of moments. Vividly she could picture the dirty back roads that Alexandria had ambled through, her dirtied, calloused feet stepping through grime and waste. But even more clearly than that, Dijonay could envision the face of the boy that had reached out to her, his soft, round features bearing a warm and welcoming smile.

"Malbex had been a kind person then," Morbex reminisced, pulling Dijonay back into the present. His light tone darkened. "But looking back, he had probably been concealing his true thoughts behind his smile.

"Not even a year later, Kelvis, his mother and younger sister accidentally stumbled into Eldonese territory. They were running from a band of debt collectors and had been chased over a cliff – by some divine intervention, Kelvis survived. But, he was the only one."

Dijonay's forehead creased in immediate concern, and in unison with Renée and Mekial she twisted to look at the fallen axmen.

"It wasn't until after he arrived did Malbex start to act different," Morbex recounted quietly. "His hatred for the Pact became more noticeable and he soon started to blaspheme the agreement, even the goddesses themselves. Our father all but disowned him.

"The only one who didn't oppose his ideas was Tentra. I suppose, because of that, Malbex started to spend more time with him. With that he became more and more reclusive, and then…"

"He attacked the Palace," Renée finished.

Morbex nodded silently.

"And here we all are," Mekial added.

"Then, maybe Ruheart was right…" Renée frowned off to the side, ignoring her brother's comment. "If Malbex was spending so much time with Tentra, that would've given him all the opportunities in the world to cast a spell on Malbex. Whatever one he used, Aliore or not, it's gotta be the same one used on you and Ruheart – you guys became more aggressive, too."

"If that is true, then does that mean Malbex is really under a spell?" Dijonay asked, and one could easily perceive that she was still on the fence about the entire topic. "Would that not mean that Malbex's actions were against even his own wishes? That he never wanted to do any of this?"

"I…" Renée paused to absorb her words and their meaning. Looking at it from this new viewpoint, even she found it all hard to believe. "It seems like it…"

"It's possible," Morbex presumed. "But it seems more likely that my brother had had some kind of restraint before Tentra's interference."

"So you think Tentra kinda hypnotized Malbex into removing that restraint," Renée summarized.

"It's likely; but if we're right, I don't know if we can snap Malbex out of it as easily as you were able to do to Miss Alexandria and I."

"Because the spell was probably cast on Malbex at multiple intervals," Mekial clarified, noticing Dijonay and Renée's somewhat confused expressions. "I was worried about that…"

Gathering his bearings, Morbex straightened his posture and let the hand that had been resting on Dijonay's shoulder fall to his side. He then held his head as the world righted itself around him. "Where did you say the others were?"

"We didn't say, actually," Mekial pointed out.

"They went on ahead," Renée told him. "We should probably try to catch up to them."

"Right…" Morbex dropped his hand. "We should get going –"

"U-urgnh…"

As the low groan floated to their ears, the four let their eyes drop to Kelvis in time to see his eyes scrunch up. With another quiet moan he lifted a hand and raked his fingers through his hair and then sat up, supporting his weight on one hand whilst holding his head up with the other.

"Kelvis!" Morbex moved to his side and helped the man to his feet. Once he was standing, the warrior stared at the silver-haired being before him through a thin squint. When the young noble's features became clear, his dark eyebrows drew together in mystification.

"Morbex?" At the arrival of a dull throb he tightened the grip on his skull and took to scanning the messy landscape. Mutely, his eyes roved across the yard to the broken stone flowerpot before falling to the almost empty pool. Then, his gaze jumped to the defaced chapel. "Where are we…?"

"I feel like we've been through this before," Mekial murmured and hearing his words, Kelvis turned around and looked at him. His eyes then moved to Renée and Dijonay.

He frowned. "Who're they?"

"Yep." Mekial nodded stiffly. "Been here before."

"You three go on ahead," Morbex said, looking to each of them as Kelvis continued to study the area in mounting confusion. "I'll explain things to him."

"Are you sure?" Dijonay stepped forward worriedly and hesitated when Kelvis' black eyes found her again. But when she returned her gaze to Morbex, whose face had once again taken on a calm, reassuring smile, her heart unclenched.

"It'll be fine, Miss Dijonay," he assured her. "Go on ahead – we'll catch up."

Dijonay tipped her chin, albeit rather reluctantly, and after meeting the eyes of Renée and Mekial ran with them up the walkway and through the still-open doors of the palace's rear entrance.

After they had disappeared into the dark depths of the building, Morbex granted Kelvis his full attention and took a deep breath. "You may not believe what I'm about to tell you," he started, "but I promise that everything I say is the truth."

Kelvis dropped his hand, the frown still lingering on his brow. "Not like I'd expect otherwise…" He raised his head to look Morbex full in the face and upon seeing his expression, his scowl deepened. "What?"

"Nothing…" Morbex looked away with a shake of his head, but not even Kelvis' presently fogged senses could miss the smile that was tugging at the prince's lips. "It's just…" He stared off to the side and after a short pause his smile grew.

When he refaced Kelvis peace was shimmering in his bright, cherry eyes, beaming out of him like a beacon in the eclipse of darkness. "I'm just glad you're back."

* * *

Moving with haste, Link, Brent and Katrina hurried through the exquisite corridors of the palace's interior, following what appeared to be the main hallways as they searched for a way to the upper floors. Periodically they nearly crossed paths with squadrons of armed soldiers, but with vigilance they successfully avoided them.

However, upon finally locating an ascending staircase their narrow escapes began to thin until their rushing figures were eventually spotted along a wide, indoor bridge.

"Halt!" a silver knight ahead of them bellowed, noting their unfamiliarity. But when the three didn't stop or even ease their speed, he studied their figures and became aware of their weaponry.

His senses now on high alert, the soldier prepared his spear and alerted the guards that were with him, "They're armed! Intruders!"

Reacting much quicker than the typical Hyrulean soldier would the silver knights proceeded to surround the incoming trio, spears at the ready. Positioned at the front of the group Link bared his sword and seized the immediate offensive, overpowering the soldiers with enough brute strength to catch them unawares. Working off of his rampage Brent and Katrina attacked with the same fierceness and within seconds the soldiers were either unconscious or too injured to keep fighting.

Not even gasping for breath Link stood over the last soldier he had defeated and at the arrival of a soft, approaching noise, his eyes shot to the left, where the entrance of a passageway was located. Quickly he hid beside the frame of the doorway and when the advancing sound was closer he stepped out and aimed the end of his blade at the throat of the thin, older manservant that had arrived.

Wide-eyed, the worker frightfully dropped the book he was reading and threw his hands up. His gaze flitted to the fallen officers and then up to Brent and Katrina, who were now walking towards him, before refocusing on Link.

"Where's the emperor?" the Hyrulean demanded and the man's throat bobbed as he gulped.

"U-up the hall!" he stammered, pointing back to whence he had come. "Th-there'll be a set of stairs: go up, follow the hall, head up another floor and go straight to the Grand Staircase! Y-you won't be able to miss it!"

His threatening face unchanging, Link withdrew his sword and the man's shoulders loosened.

But he tensed up again when Katrina sprinted forth and with a swift, spinning kick, knocked him out before he could even hit the ground.

Disregarding the servant's fallen body Link led the others up the hallway as directed, where they came upon a stairwell that brought them to the floor above. Hotfooting along this hallway, which was lit by cavernous, glittering chandeliers and lined with cream-colored pillars, the group came upon another pair of silver knights that they apprehended just as easily as the ones before.

Again taking heed of the servant's directions, the group sped down the remainder of the hall, veered right and climbed up another set of stairs. On the level above they finally slowed to catch their breath, but then picked up their momentum upon crossing paths with a handful of more soldiers. After defeating them the three pressed onward, and soon the hall opened up to a vast corridor.

With its tierceron vault ceiling and colossal girth, the windowless hall extended towards a pair of mahogany doors that were engraved with meticulous, leafy decorations. Before the closed gateway a short marble staircase was located, its surface granted a creamy color thanks to the light of the famous chandelier that hung above. Large bodies of armor stood on pedestals along the length of the corridor, each armed with a sword that they held in front of their masked faces and a curved shield that they held against their sides.

As they crossed the tiled floor to reach the dark doors, the three couldn't help but notice the overwhelming silence of the area. The clanking of metal feet and armor was completely absent, and there were no other signs of activity anywhere nearby: no matter how much they strained their ears, all they could hear was the buzzing quiet, which was evenly broken by the clopping of their boots on the tiled floor. In a way, it almost seemed like they were the palace's only inhabitants.

Knowing this was little reason to let their guards down, the three tread forth warily, their sights set on the grand doors ahead of them. Even as they approached, the quiet tapping of feet sounded on its other side, piercing the quiet. As one the small group stopped, and at the same time the unfamiliar feet ceased. Then one of the doors began to open, filling the room with the drawn-out croak of wood.

The three tensed, weapons bared, and remained stationary as the door gradually swung ajar. In time, a pale man became apparent to them, garbed in fancily embroidered white and red robes, and his silver hair gracefully falling to the midsection of his back. Sensing the group's lingering stares he looked up, and pinned them with a pair of luminous, crimson eyes.

With his nearly invisible eyebrows rising in subdued surprise, the man sauntered onto the small platform before the stairs and observed them. After a moment, recognition glinted in his eyes and an amused smirk settled upon his face.

Almost immediately, Katrina's heart stopped.

_That smile._

She knew that smile.

Her jade eyes, bulging in disbelief, locked onto the man while her mental sights backtracked, hauling her into the vivid recollection of her last night on the Corva Isles. Standing in the midst of that memory her blood ran cold, numbing her to all else as she looked upon the flaming remnants of her birthplace.

But more prominent than the destruction was the brunette man that loomed over her, smirking proudly as his cerulean eyes gleamed with fire-lit malice.

Like brittle glass the image of the false Link's face cracked and shattered out of her vision, leaving her to refocus on Tentra. Dazed, she simply gawked at him, her mind whirling like mad; but then her slackened jaw clenched and her astonishment gave heed to a reawakened hatred.

Yes…she knew that smile.

She would know it anywhere.

"Well, well…" Tentra's look was steadfast as he observed the three. "You're still alive. Isn't this a surprise?"

Link and Brent refreshed their battle stances, the latter being able to vaguely recall seeing this man in the Mirror Chamber.

But Katrina didn't move: instead she continued to glower, her arms limp and her face blackening with wrath. "It…was _you_…"

A tangible loathing curled off of her trembling form, and before long she started to visibly quake.

Intrigued, Tentra watched her, his eyes lighting up like an inquisitive child's.

"You…" Katrina's hands coiled into tight, white-knuckled fists, "you _killed_ my…"

Link and Brent glanced at her and rounded on Tentra once more; Link's features darkened with frightening resolve, but not even his expression could come close to that of Katrina's bloodthirsty vengeance.

"I'll kill you…" The knives rocketed out of her sleeves and her rage spilled over, spewing from her eyes to sear holes through Tentra's head.

_"_I'll_ kill you!"_

* * *

**Next: May 24th.**

**Because, I finished it all. 8D**


	32. Chapter 32

***throws confetti* WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**As I said at the end of the last update I've officially finished writing ****_Covenant/Rebirth_****! YAYYY!**

**As such, updates will now go from being the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month to every Friday!**

**-sigh- Five years of writing has led me to this feeling of accomplishment. And boy, am I glad I wrote this epic/novel/epic novel (which I dub my "practice novel"). If you guys go back to the first chapter of this story...whew. Man, did I need to practice.**

**Anyway, thank you guys for sticking with the story up 'til now. Believe it or not but your positive comments helped with my actually finishing it. Just knowing that I had even a little bit of support really helped me to keep going. I'm not the most confident of people, after all ^^**

**Also, from now on, I won't comment before/after chapters, just so I can save my acknowledgements and so forth for after the entire story is posted. I may even include some little fun facts about the story then, too, as well as little teasers for future projects (which won't be anymore fanfics btw, this is my last one. You'll get more information later ;D).**

**Now, on with the conclusive chapters of ****_Covenant/Rebirth._****..**

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

With Mekial and Dijonay tagging at her heels, Renée skidded into a passage on the left, sliding into its shadows before one of the guardsmen at the hall's end could turn around. Flattening herself against the wall she peeked around the corner then hastily withdrew, her heart pounding.

"Hey…" The soldier that had just turned around to study the corridor behind him made a complete about-face, his brow creased beneath the shade of his helmet. "Did you see something just now?"

His partner simply shook his head in a rather uninterested way.

Taking this as a sign that he had only been seeing things, the first soldier took up his earlier position and examined the corridor they were standing in. "Should we check the next one over?"

"Might as well… But by now I'm beginning to wonder if there's even anything to look for."

"It's foolish to think like that," the first soldier scolded automatically. "Lord Morbex said that we might be ambushed from the Evian Pool. It's important we keep our guards up."

"Suppose that's all there is to it, huh…" That said the second officer walked away to follow the hall to the next connecting passage.

As he strode off the other guard made to follow, only to stop short and direct his eyes back into the hall behind him – specifically to the corner where he thought he had seen something. After shooting a glance at his ignorant ally, he readied his spear and entered the hall.

Hearing his footsteps patting against the corridor's plush carpet, Renée slid to the ground and stole a tiny peek around the corner once more. At that point in time the soldier was a little over halfway up the hall, his weapon bared as he ventured ever nearer to the group's hiding spot.

Pushing up to her feet, Renée angled her head so that her next whispered words could carry over to her brother, "Mekial."

His eyes flew up to her and she shifted a bit more to meet his gaze.

"Light, please."

Soundlessly, he inched closer to the edge of the wall and poked his face out enough to view the connecting corridor with one eye. Murmuring beneath his breath he raised a hand into the air, his fingers inching into a snapping position.

Spying the faint movement the advancing soldier paused, squinting at the dim silhouette of Mekial's partly revealed figure. Then his eyes widened with realization.

"Hey –!"

Without warning a sharp _snap_ filled the air and a sphere of glaring light erupted before him, searing his eyes with the blinding force of sunlight. Screaming in anguish he clapped his hands over his face, tottering and staggering in the darkness that was devouring his vision.

"C'mon." Renée dodged out of their hiding place and skipped out of the way when the soldier stumbled crookedly, wailing, and crashed into the wall.

Before she knew it, she found herself watching him with a sharp pang of regret. Mekial and Dijonay, too, stared, their faces awash with a blended expression of astonishment and worry.

Renée shook herself out of it first. "C-c'mon," she said again, and faced the hall. "It's not our place to pity him now."

Forcing their minds to refocus on the task at hand, the three sprinted up the corridor and into the cavernous, perpendicular passage up ahead. Here Renée looked up and down the hall and tensed at the sight of more soldiers ambling about.

They were a decent distance away and yet, unwilling to take any chances, she broke into a renewed dash, hotfooting straight ahead and into what looked to be an indoor bridge. Lined with wide, glass windows on either side, the place was no doubt meant to welcome natural light from the outdoors. But with such a thing being impossible at the present time, the hall was instead lit by the faint glow falling from wall scones high above.

Running along the length of this passage the three kept their eyes forward, arms pumping, boots clopping, and eased to a halt at the bridge's end, where two tall, ornate doors were opened to the following passage. Looking up and down this hall, they found that soldiers were positioned to stand guard here as well, flanking the corridor in pairs with their spears up and eyes watchful.

"There's a lot of them," Mekial murmured as they backed into hiding behind one of the hallway doors, out of sight of the wary watchmen.

"Maybe it's some kind of precaution," Renée guessed. "After all, they were attacked by a dragon."

Mekial made a sound of quiet agreement.

"What do we do now?" Dijonay whispered, peeking around the door over Renée's head. "I can see a set of stairs further down the hall but…there are guards right in front of them."

Hearing this Renée followed the girl's line of sight and soon pinpointed the stairwell she had located. Indeed, there was a pair of soldiers stationed on either side of it and with it being so far down the passage, there was enough room for at least four guards to be evenly spaced before it.

Renée's eyebrows drew together.

In simple standing, they could plow through the soldiers and pave their way to the upper floors by force. But such a plan was too brash. In fact, it would most likely garner the attention of the alarms.

Thus tossing that idea aside, she moved on to conjure a second option. After a quick moment of thought she came to the conclusion that if mindlessly charging into battle was a bad idea, then maybe they could search for another way to the next floor instead.

Not even a second later she discarded that plan as well. The Palace of Albaan was too large – they would wind up lost and captured if they went about things that way.

She twisted her lip in uncertainty and for a vain moment wished that Brent were with them. He would have been able to figure something out. In fact, he had probably figured something out when he, Link and Katrina had entered the palace.

Like a sudden, cold splash of water that thought linked her back to reality, reminding her that she and those with her had a short amount of time to catch up to their allies. Thus hauling herself out of her worries she peered into the hallway again, this time letting her eyes dart to and fro in search of something they could use as cover for their race to the stairs.

_Or…_

Would they even need cover?

With a blink of realization she looked at Mekial and raised a finger to tap him on the shoulder, her mouth opening to share with him her forming idea. Not even the first syllable of her sentence escaped her before a hand fell upon her own shoulder and with her eyes narrowing she whirled around, hand flying to her sword.

But when her sight identified a familiar face she caught herself and stopped.

The soldier standing by the hallway dresser glared down the wide corridor with a stiff frown, his fingers so tightly clasped around his spear and his posture so rigid that he bore resemblance to the suits of armor that decorated sections of the palace.

He flexed his numbing fingers idly and his dark eyes continuously panned across the hall, sliding from one high wall to the other in search of anything unordinary. For what felt like hours he had stood in this spot, adding to the increased security as per Morbex's orders, and yet nothing had happened. Though his stony countenance hid it well, he wondered if the spokesman's demands would soon be repealed.

He shook that thought away. A black dragon had nearly burned the manor to the ground and according to the words of the soldiers that had seen the incident firsthand, Morbex had predicted that there would soon be an intrusion from the southern garden.

The soldier hadn't heard news of anything else, save the fact that Morbex had gone to the garden with the axmen, Kelvis, with the intent of ambushing the trespassers. If they had succeeded, the silver guard guessed a messenger would sprint down the halls to inform everyone that they could rest a bit easier; and if not, he'd probably see some unfamiliar faces soon enough.

He wondered when which would occur first.

"Lord Morbex!"

The loud clanking of armor followed the announcement to signify that the soldier who had spoken was saluting.

Shifting his eyes to him, the guard near the dresser straightened up and then sent his vision across the hall where, indeed, Morbex was seen to be advancing. Kelvis was beside him, his cape split to look like two tattered, billowing tails, and behind them was a trio of faces that had never before been seen in the palace.

The guard saluted along with his comrades as the group approached, and he took to scrutinizing the three behind the nobleman. They looked like children, with the tallest – a dark haired girl of a bronze pallor – looking to be barely over the age of sixteen. The youngest, a boy who shared some of her facial features, had to be close to thirteen, or even twelve.

Were _they_ the intruders Morbex had foreseen would come?

"It is a great relief to see you alive and well, sir," one of the guards stated formally as Morbex led the little band down the center of the carpeted hall.

"These are the intruders, sir?" another inquired, studying the passing Arkanians suspiciously.

"They are," Morbex returned.

"Shall we take them to the dungeon, milord?" someone else offered.

"No," Morbex looked at him. "I'll personally escort them to the tower dungeon."

"Tower…?"

Some of the guards exchanged looks. Only treasonous or extremely dangerous criminals were locked in the secluded tower dungeon. These rugged children couldn't be that horrible, could they?

"Are you questioning his judgment?" Kelvis faced the soldier that had echoed Morbex's words, his black eyes challenging.

"N-no," the man stuttered.

"I hope you're not judging them by their faces." Kelvis' words enticed the man to look the foreigners over a second time.

After doing so he pursed his lips and met Kelvis' black stare again. "No, sir."

"Good. It's nice to know you're not pathetic like Hyrule's guards. …At least, not as much."

The guard bristled but smartly chose to ignore the comment. "Shall we remain here, milord?"

"Yes." Morbex tipped his chin, understanding that the question was for him. "For extra precaution."

"As you wish, milord." The soldier bowed and then nodded to Kelvis, who simply huffed and turned his back to him.

As they ambled past, the guard near the dresser observed them closely, his thin eyes narrowing at the intruders before shifting to view Morbex, who didn't seem to notice his probing stare. Then with an inaudible grunt he refaced the corridor, thus showing no interest to the sight of the group passing into the stairwell.

When sure that they had climbed a good way up the stairs, Renée let out her breath in the form of a relieved sigh. "Man, Morbex…you're a lifesaver."

"How did you find us so quickly?" Dijonay inquired.

"Apparently blinded soldiers have good ears," Kelvis answered and Dijonay shot Mekial a remorseful glance.

"So, he truly was blinded…"

"Not completely," Morbex assured them from in front of Kelvis. "He'll recover well enough."

At the head of the stairs he moved out of the path of the others so they could file out behind him. As they did he studied the place they were now in, fitting the sight in his mind and attempting to match it with his blurred memories of the palace's interior.

"I'm impressed you guys made it to at least the third level by yourselves," Kelvis praised, looking towards the Arkanians. At his words, they turned their faces towards him. "But I guess your instincts makes sense. Morbex didn't get into the nitpicky details, but from what I've heard you've all been through hell and back these past few months."

The three only gawked at him, unsure as to how to respond or even react to his present demeanor.

Morbex took the liberty of trying to loosen the tension. "It's fine; Kelvis isn't someone to worry about anymore."

"Still…" Renée murmured.

"This is just _awkward_," Mekial agreed.

Morbex's face fell a bit and he raised his eyes to Kelvis, who viewed him at the same moment.

He shrugged. "Trust is earned, I guess."

Morbex gave no reaction to this statement and instead took to reexamining the hallway, craning his neck to observe the low arching ceiling before dropping his eyes to the extensive corridor. Like the halls previous, windows lined one side of the passage, but everything else was mellower in comparison: rather than wall scones or high-flung chandeliers, standing lamplights lit the stone corridor, and the floor was smooth and tiled, but dark and blank.

"Something wrong?" Renée spoke up, noticing the troubled look that had fallen over her friend's face.

"It looks like we're actually close to the tower dungeon," he responded, taking his eyes off the hall to view everyone. "We'll have to go back."

"_That_ way?" Mekial asked incredulously, jabbing a thumb at the stairwell they had just exited.

"Of course not that way," Renée frowned.

"We can go back around on this floor," Morbex explained, looking to a lone door stationed on the other end of the hall. "Once we circle around, we'll be able to go upstairs to get to the throne room."

Voicing their agreement, Renée, Mekial and Dijonay fell into step behind Morbex and Kelvis as they guided them out of the hall and through the plain door that Morbex had noticed. Stepping into the space beyond it, they found themselves standing in another simple passageway. Passing through here as well, they walked onto an outdoor stone bridge that carried them to another section of the palace.

Upon reentering the warmth of the grand mansion, they strode through a cavernous, dark hall that opened up to a wide atrium. Striding at the front of the party Morbex barely slid a glance at the room's light décor but rather hurried through and rounded a far corner, leading everyone into the high-ceilinged hall beyond.

"There're no guards here, either," Renée muttered, noticing that this passage was just as empty as the places they had already passed through.

No sooner had she said this did Morbex turn another corner and practically walk into a soldier.

Stopping short behind him, Renée bit her tongue.

"Lord Morbex!" The soldier, a short, pudgy sort of fellow with a short beard growing under his round chin, saluted to the Fenri and then caught sight of Kelvis in his peripheral sight. "Sir Kelvis!" He saluted to him as well. "I heard that you two went to go and stop an intrusion near the pool!" His eyes fell to the three behind them. "Were _they_ part of it?" He sounded incredulous, no doubt astonished that such young faces could be capable of invading a palace-fortress like this one.

"The palace guards have all been ordered to take up positions in the southern wing as a precaution," Kelvis declared firmly, staring the soldier down as he gave the false decree. "Didn't you hear?"

"Uh…" The guard's eyes flitted from him to Morbex. "No, I…I didn't hear…"

"Well, you have now. Get going."

"Sir!" Clapping his spear to his side, the soldier saluted again. "But, if it's all right to ask, these prisoners are to be taken to the Tower Dungeon for intrusion, right? Please allow me to take them there!"

Kelvis' eyes flashed at Morbex so quickly that it was nearly imperceptible. "That isn't –"

"W-with all due respect Sir Kelvis, the Tower Dungeon is in the direction I have to go in," the guard went on, his hand still up in salute. "I can take them there on my way to join the other palace guards!"

"I said that's not –"

"That's fine."

Kelvis broke off and stared at Morbex, his face cut into a dubious frown.

Morbex ignored him. "If you would." He held his arm out in gesture to Renée, Mekial and Dijonay, who were looking on at him in growing befuddlement. "We need to report to His Excellency in any case. It would spare us the time."

"Yes, my Lord!"

Smiling transparently, Morbex stepped out of the man's way to allow him full access to the supposed prisoners. Kelvis did the same, but as the man walked between them his hand went up to grasp the hilt of his ax.

Before he could even think of unsheathing it Morbex spun his wrist, and a powerful surge of magic detonated in the soldier's face.

With a helpless squeal the officer soared backward, leaving a thin trail of smoke in the air. Grunting, he landed in a crumpled, metal heap several yards away and one soft groan later, went utterly still.

Overlooking the surprised looks he was receiving from his party, Morbex strode forward. "We don't have much time," he said, stopping near the man's feet. "We need to reach Malbex before the others do." After observing the inert soldier for a short moment he raised his eyes to a door that was a few feet away. "Please open that door."

Dijonay hurried to fulfill the request and by her act a small, dark closet became apparent to them. Morbex dropped his eyes to the soldier and his hands flashed; in the blink of an eye the man's body was up in the air and keeping his gaze firmly fixed upon it, Morbex levitated him into the tiny room. Once he had been stuffed inside, Dijonay pulled the door shut.

"You there!"

Dijonay jumped and as one the group looked down the hall to see a team of soldiers standing there, some looking to be rather surprised while others looked vengeful.

"Someone call for reinforcements!" the soldier that had spotted them roared, rounding on the men behind him. "Morbex has betrayed the empire! He's leading intruders!"

Two of the soldiers saluted and took off. The others readied their spears and charged to cover the distance between themselves and the traitorous prince. Moving with haste they were upon he and his allies in record time, surrounding them with their sharpened artilleries nearly poking their flesh.

Backing into one another, the captives readied their own weapons.

"Malbex must have set this up when we first came here," Morbex reasoned aloud and a faint, violet hue became apparent around his raised hands. Sorrow fell across his visage, and with it came the memories of the interactions he had had with the emperor in the last five months. "I suppose…he really does hate me…"

"Mekial –" Renée twisted her neck to peer at her brother. "Light, please!"

"Okay!" Throwing his hands into the air Mekial went about with the utterance of the spell's verse, and the stone in his forehead began to shine.

"A Ravine Mage!" one of the officers hollered in warning. "Quick, stop him before he –"

The light exploded before he could finish, burning into his eyes to the point where it felt as though they were bleeding. Screaming and writhing in pain all of the soldiers slammed their hands against their faces and reeled or fell over, cupping their eyes as though to save them from destruction.

"This way!" Having lowered his forearm from his face, Morbex hopped over the guards and tore down the hall with the others close behind.

"We aren't that far from the Grand Staircase," he called to them over his shoulder. "Just a bit further, before we're –!"

"Stop!"

Identifying the incoming guards up ahead, their spears held in a thrusting position, Morbex screeched to a halt.

But Kelvis kept running and drew his ax out of its sheath. Gripping it with both hands he swept it in a wide arch, generating a mighty gale that raged across the hall to bowl over lamplights and soldiers alike.

"Here!" Changing direction, Morbex hurried down a passage on the left and after passing a couple of corridors veered right.

But it seemed that the messengers from earlier had worked faster than he had hoped: rather than an empty hallway, a number of guards were located here as well, sprinting towards them at a rapid pace.

Morbex gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, then waved his arms to the side. In time with his motion four of the soldiers were whisked into the air, flipping erratically until they crashed into a suit of armor.

"This way!"

At the call Morbex pivoted and saw that Kelvis was waving him over while Renée, Mekial and Dijonay hastened up a short set of stairs behind him. Without passing even the smallest of glances over his shoulder, Morbex rushed after them.

"Follow him!" one of the guards that Morbex had tossed ordered as he got up, the vein in his neck popping as he hollered over the din of his racing subordinates. "Don't let him escape! Don't let any _one_ of them escape! Don't let them reach His Excellency…!"

"Mekial!" Morbex peered back when he reached the top of the stairs, and a few feet ahead of him Mekial spiraled to find what he wanted. "The ceiling – we need to block the stairs!"

Glancing up at the slanted roof that stretched over the stairs Mekial threw his hands out, the words of his incantation passing between his lips at a dull murmur. By the conclusion of his spell an orange light had encased his hands and a split second later, it burst from his fingertips as a speeding ray of fiery light.

Just as the soldiers reached the bottom of the staircase his spell collided with the ceiling, blasting away huge slabs of stone in an explosion of sparks and ebony smoke. Some of the soldiers tried to shield themselves beneath the rain of rock while others stopped short just before the chaos; in the end only two of them managed to push through, scrambling up the defaced steps with fierce resolve.

Seeing this Mekial made to recast the spell but Morbex moved first, swiping his hand through the air and blasting away more of the skewed ceiling, thus trapping the soldiers between two piles of dense rubble.

Sparing no time to loiter, he spun around and darted up the hall. "This way!"

"Where's the Grand Staircase?!" Mekial shouted as he and the others rushed after him.

"Only a bit further!" Morbex kicked around the next corner and into a short hall, where a wide set of ascending stairs was built at the end. "Just one more floor…!"

* * *

Screaming murderously Katrina charged across the room, moving at a speed that neither Link nor Brent had ever seen her move at before. Tentra retained his hollow smile as she ran at him, and when she was within striking range he ducked beneath her first few mindless swipes and then spiraled out of the way. Stopping near a suit of armor he effortlessly pried its fingers apart and took its broadsword for himself.

In her blind rage Katrina didn't notice and she rushed him again, yelling and lashing at anything she could reach. With ease Tentra blocked and parried each of her hits, his smile unyielding as he caused her raging offense to deteriorate. Not even a minute passed before he located a clean opening and he drove his sword forth, only to have the blade knocked aside by another.

Utilizing this moment Link completely spun into the battle, trading places with Katrina at the same time. Lifting his shield, he negated a blindsiding slash of Tentra's sword and then switched arms, his own sword at the ready.

But right when he shifted to deliver an attack of his own Tentra's eyes deepened to a black crimson, leading him to hastily change tactics: with a backwards leap he cleared the marble stairs, his shield guarding his face and Katrina did the same, arms over her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Tentra changed the hold on his sword so that its flat side was facing the ceiling, and he aimed its tip at the three below him. His darkened eyes sparkled mockingly. "Is there something in my eye?"

Link's jaw clenched and Katrina shuddered, her face all but consoling as her anger spewed like water from a boiling pot.

Chuckling, Tentra swung his sword off to the side and began to descend the stairs.

Link's mind whirred fervently and in his temporary panic his eyes fell to the Master Sword's clear face, which was presently reflecting the light of the chandelier above.

Something in his head clicked and with a slight flick of the wrist, he fired a blinding beam of light at his advancing opponent.

Tentra yelped with shock and reflexively scrunched his eyes shut whilst lifting a hand to rub them.

Dropping her arms Katrina flew in to take advantage of the man's vulnerability and Brent joined as her reinforcement. Tentra opened his eyes only just before they fell upon him and he hurriedly fell back, eyes wide as he throttled himself back into battle mode. Once he had regained his rhythm a new smirk fluttered across his face and the hue of his eyes deepened once more.

Again Katrina leaped back and Brent with her.

Tentra laughed openly. "I have to say, it's a bit of a pain and a rather large setback to have you all alive," he started, the color in his eyes unchanging, "but wouldn't it be interesting to find out how well you could serve Malbex? Granted, he's a bit moody at the moment, but maybe he could use you for some kind of elite force…" He grinned mischievously. "You all seem good enough for that."

Keeping his eyes averted Brent ran through a mental list of ways they could achieve victory. But with each plan he came up with he found himself stumped by the fact that, no matter what they did, they couldn't make any kind of eye contact, else they would lose their sanity.

What then, could they do?

What could they use…?

Light glinted off of something in his side vision and he glanced over at it: it was one of Katrina's knives, gleaming in the glow of the chandelier and as Brent viewed it, she shifted her position only a little. In that instant Tentra's face became apparent to him, the dark red of his eyes steadfast.

Brent only looked for a second, but even then nothing happened: no whispers invaded his mind, no violent thoughts.

Nothing.

Suddenly it dawned on him and his eyes swiveled to find Link. "Link – your mask!"

Link frowned quizzically.

"The hawk one!" Brent clarified. "The lenses should protect your eyes!"

Now understanding what he meant, Link dug through his belt pouch to retrieve the item and slipped it on.

When it was fit securely over his face he lowered his shield and with his eyes reverting to their natural tint, Tentra burst into laughter. "You look _ridiculous!"_

Link didn't react.

"But…" The man's lighthearted chortling took on the form of a ghosted smile and something glazed across his irises, blackening their shade once more. "You peeked."

To his confusion, Link didn't emit any kind of agonized scream or writhe in pain. Instead he lifted his sword and bent his knees into a battle stance, then closed the distance between himself and Tentra at a breakneck dash.

Tentra's jaw fell slightly but then he regained enough sense to accept the wordless challenge and engage in battle. Within seconds the air was consumed by the resounding clang of metal against metal and of blades whipping through empty space, with Tentra slowly backing down while Link overwhelmed him with a grand assault of power.

At one point Tentra raised his blade, intending to guard himself from one of Link's downward strikes. But the Hylian's sword suddenly retreated and a pair of stiletto-length knives appeared, ripping across Tentra's chest to draw two long, jagged marks through his clothes.

With a cry of shock he drew back and his widened eyes fell to the new, bleeding wounds on his front. Already aware of whom the offender was his eyes flew up, darkening just as Katrina lunged at him again.

Without thought she clenched her eyes and had Link not suddenly moved in to protect her Tentra would have run her through with his sword. Grateful for his help Katrina fell back while Tentra staggered, put off by the solidity of Link's shield.

Grinding his teeth he reclaimed his footing, a bead of sweat dripping from his brow and his eyes panned across the room. Finding a new target he darted around Link and Katrina, his darkened eyes shining maliciously.

"You are a smart one, aren't you?" he chuckled and in a flash his sword flew out to plow through Brent's stomach.

He blocked hurriedly and Tentra leaned in, locking their weapons. Though Brent's eyes were averted he could still feel the man's black gaze upon him, burning against the side of his face. "Figuring out a weakness so quickly…if only you were on my side. That would even the odds, wouldn't they?"

At that point Brent broke free of their close struggle and renewed his stance, fixing his eyes on Tentra's torso in anticipation of his next move.

"And a knowledgeable fighter, too!" Tentra exclaimed, though his sincerity was absent. "So a strategist, a barbarian and a hyper little pixie" – he grinned – "what a lovely little group you all are."

"No one's here for compliments," Link declared from Tentra's right.

"Oh, but I do love compliments," the Fenri returned childishly. "After all, what's a good fight without a bit of praise?"

"No one's commending your manners, either," Katrina growled.

"Well you all are no fun." He sighed and his eyes returned to their true color. "And you won't even look at me. It's just a game of kill or be killed, isn't it?"

"No." Katrina took a couple of steps forward. "Just kill."

"How horrible!" Tentra exclaimed, looking to be falsely hurt. "It just seems like everyone hates me now: first it was Alexandria, then Malbex –"

"And rightly so!" Katrina exploded and she pointed one of her blades at him. "You…you took _everything_ from me! The rest of my friends and I…! We're all that's left!"

"All that's…?" Tentra's brow knit together and he stared off to the side in confusion. What was she referring to?

"Don't – act – _stupid!"_ Katrina boomed, punching out each word. "You know what you did: you murdered _everyone_ on my island! My mother, my father, my brother, my sister…!"

_"Oh!_ The Corva Isles," Tentra rounded on her in comprehension. "What an event that was."

Katrina's eyes bulged with fury at his inconsiderate demeanor. Then her eyebrows shoved together, crinkling her forehead as her face reddened. "To think you did it all because you thought we were _convenient!" _she roared."Like we were pawns!"

Tentra's constant, mocking aura finally dissipated to be taken up by a thin smile. "That's right," he said. "All in the name of something greater. Something that Malbex wouldn't have had the strength to do had it not been for me."

"Then I was right."

His eyes still cased in ice, Tentra shifted his view to Brent.

"Ruheart said that you'd twisted Malbex's will," he said when Tentra looked at him.

"Twist?" Tentra repeated and he barked out a dry laugh. "I didn't "twist" anything. Everything that Malbex did or ordered was done of his own free will. All I did was give him a little _push_.

"He hated his homeland, even his own father and brother. But he was just too timid to rebel. It seemed…he hadn't known what he was capable of."

_"Let no one stop you."_

The words he had uttered when he first used Aliore on the young prince resurfaced in his mind, bringing with it the wide-eyed stare that had taken over the boy's countenance. It had been late in the evening and the palace archive had been empty – no one had heard him scream…

"But I knew," Tentra flashed a sick grin. "So I tested him, nudging him little by little until he made it here." He spread his arms in gesture of the palace, and a distant look entered his eyes. "I'd always wanted to see the extent of that magic. I wanted to know what it could drive people to do, how desperate it could make them.

"And I wanted to know why, with abilities like ours, the goddesses would so willingly choose to forsake us." He dropped his arms, his scarlet eyes glowing malevolently. "In that way, Malbex's hatred was my own."

His eyes slid back to Katrina. "He was the best pawn of you all."

Katrina clenched her teeth, and her eyes flinched with puzzlement when his leering face suddenly began to mutate.

"So feel free to hate me," he sneered, his features distorting in the most repugnant way as the tone of his eyes lightened. "Loathe me…"

With the nauseating crackle of bones his body shortened and broadened to support his new muscle frame, and his darkening hair shrunk to hang just beneath his pointing ears.

_"Despise_ me…"

Link took off his mask and nearly lost the grip on his sword.

"Then come closer." With a curling of his lips, Tentra twisted Link's face into a devilish snarl, "…So I can finish what I started."


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

Katrina froze, every fiber of her being unresponsive as she stared into the eyes of the false Link. Her heart seemed to stop when he swept his fingers through his hair and raised his chin in an almost cocky way, allowing the chandelier to catch the smug twinkle that was in his eye.

Then he smirked, nailing her with that familiar, evil smile, and blood rushed to her eardrums.

She would never forget that smile.

_Never._

The battle cry warred out of her throat before she could stop it and ignoring everything else she charged, locking blades with Tentra in a furious rampage of ringing metal and flying sparks. She'd kill him.

She'd kill him.

She'd kill him.

_I swear it._

Yelling like a soldier in the midst of battle she crossed her knives and hacked at his neck.

But Tentra back-flipped out of her striking range, only to go back on the defensive when Link and Brent swooped in, assaulting him with such synchronized teamwork that it almost looked rehearsed. Link was the one who finally bypassed Tentra's defenses and delivered the ending blow, smashing his fist so hard into the man's face that he slid across the floor and didn't come to a stop until he reached the room's center.

There, Tentra snickered quietly, lifting his head off the ground enough to shake the stars from his vision. "Barbarian indeed…" He got to his feet and wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, then flipped brown bangs out of his blue eyes.

A split second later his smile died and with a cocking of his head he narrowly avoided an arrow, which drove right past him and into the hallway at his rear.

Moving almost robotically Katrina launched another arrow and again Tentra avoided it. He then sprinted forward, slipping into a tight scuffle with the three of them at once. Swords and knives sang here, a staff whirled there and Tentra's foot flew out of nowhere; Katrina caught the brunt of it to her ribs and she slammed into the stairs, clutching her new injury with a startled and pained groan.

Twirling his sword Tentra moved to finish her off, but was forced to stop when Link and Brent attacked again. Peeved, he countered their moves and knocked them out of the way, clearing his path to the fallen Corvenian.

Katrina coughed and rolled onto her side, then rolled back the other way when Tentra jammed his sword into the stairs, right next to her face.

"Aliore really is a wonderful thing," he murmured, leaning towards her sweaty, grimacing face. "It can make someone so aggressive in their beliefs, yet so easy to control. …You already have that aggression.

"I wonder," his face began to lengthen and his scarlet eyes returned, "…what would _you_ be capable of?"

Katrina adjusted herself as much as she was able, her spine and ribcage still throbbing painfully, and spat full in his face.

Tentra wiped the slobber away and when his hand fell, his impersonated features had returned. "Probably not much of anything."

He pulled the broadsword out of the stairs and hoisted it high, where it glowed like fire in the starry light of the chandelier.

Katrina pursed her lips and just as he drove it towards her heart, she slid out of the way and swiped her knife across the back of his knee.

A howl of torture sailed out of his mouth and his sword clattered to the ground. Wailing, he clutched his gushing wound and Katrina clambered into a sitting position. Then with her arms tucked against her sides she shot up, plunging her knives so deeply into his chest that they broke through his back.

Tentra's screams severed at that and he sagged over her, blue eyes bulging.

Clenching her teeth, Katrina pulled out of him and he swayed loosely, then crumbled to the stairs. Behind him Link and Brent got to their feet and Katrina staggered a little, gripping her thumping side with a bloodied hand.

A humorless chuckle filtered out of Tentra's mouth and he slid onto his side, smearing blood against the stairs. The peachy tone of his skin paled and his hair elongated, retaking its silver, silky trait, and his bones snapped as he returned to his natural body structure.

Fixing his red eyes on Katrina's glowering face, a breathless laugh escaped him. "I wonder…if death really…really does…appease anger…ha…" His lips twitched with a strained smirk as he continued to gaze at Katrina, who displayed no reaction to his meditation.

He coughed, forcing a trickle of blood to dribble down the side of his chin. "H-he wanted me to get…get rid of Morbex next… B-but…here I am…" He closed his eyes. "It seems I may not be able t…to s-see this through to the end…after all…"

"Don't worry," Katrina cut in, and Tentra forced his eyes open enough to get the slimmest view of her. "You have."

Tentra's eyes slammed shut and his head lolled to the side, his sweaty hair falling across the blood-soaked stairs. "What…what a shame…that is…"

He went still.

Link, Brent and Katrina kept their eyes upon him for another moment, none of them making even the smallest of sounds. At last Katrina pulled away, swallowing roughly.

It mattered not if her victory here relinquished her anger, nor did it matter that such a thing didn't nor could ever bring her family back to her. All she did know and all that she could accept was that now, there was no chance of anyone suffering the same way she did.

And truly, that was all she could be grateful for at that moment.

Link clenched his jaw and peered up at the wide door that Tentra had passed through upon his arrival. Brent followed his sight and immediately guessed what he was thinking.

Stepping around Tentra's corpse Link climbed the stairs and strode into the long corridor beyond. Decorated with a high-vaulted, tierceron rib ceiling and a rolling red carpet, the hall stretched forth to reach a set of double doors further ahead. About halfway down on the left was an enormous archway and upon reaching it, the three found that it opened up to a marvelous staircase, with one set spiraling to the upper floors while the other circled to the lower ones. Bathed in the light of the wall scones that encircled them, the stairs looked like they were built out of gold, further complementing the grand interior of the palace.

With his eyes fixed on the upward staircase, Link tightened his grasp around the Master Sword's hilt. Turning to some extent, he traded looks with Brent and Katrina.

Then, they went up.

* * *

When the throne room's doors burst open, Malbex looked up and his once bored yet thoughtful expression melted. Straightening up in his throne he peered through the light to see who had arrived.

It wasn't Tentra he realized, and after a moment of staring, he finally recognized the three faces that were marching towards him. His crimson eyes widened in astonishment but an instant later he narrowed them, shadows falling across his features.

The faces of Link, Brent and Katrina were no less demoralizing and they stopped midway down the green rug that spanned the dark room.

"You…" Malbex rose to his feet and he waved a hand at the Triforce, sending it rising up so that its glow could better light the area. "I should've known." If his expression could get any more violent, it did when he added, "I'll be sure Morbex is killed for this."

"Malbex," Link's voice bounced around the cavernous walls, "it's over."

Malbex sent him a plain, defiant look. "…The argorok was your decoy."

Link held his firm glower. "Yeah."

Malbex huffed shortly. Besides flying in on the dragon's back, which hadn't seemed to have happened, the only way these intruders could've gotten in during the earlier chaos was via the underground tunnels that linked the palace chapel to the church.

But that seemed improbable as well. Not too long before he had had the king of Albaan assassinated, Malbex had personally ordered for the Shadows to destroy the Eye of Ptolemn, which acted as a key for the labyrinth. Doing so instantly activated the curse of that ghoulish place, which made it virtually impossible for anyone to have passed through there with the intent of intrusion, whether they had found the pieces of Ptolemn's Eye or not.

And yet, though he desired to throw away the possibility that this group had made it through that place, Malbex sorely found that there was simply no other way for them to have gotten in.

"There's no one left to help you," Brent declared, breaking Malbex's train of thought and upon hearing his next words something shot through Malbex's otherwise solid glare. "Ruheart's been imprisoned, Hyrule is back in Princess Zelda's hands, and Morbex and Kelvis are no longer your mindless minions."

"And as for Tentra," Katrina went on, "he's dead."

The corners of Malbex's eyes flinched and his lips twitched with a strange smile. "Dead?" But then his gaze dropped to her bloody knives and his face fell. "So…you came to kill me as well."

"Surrendering's still an option," Brent offered.

The emperor scoffed. "Surrender?" He looked between their grim faces. "I suppose you would think that those were my only options – to surrender or die – because you've killed or captured every supposed resource that I have." He cocked his head to the side. "Or did you?"

He strode down the steps of the throne dais steadily, gracefully, his attire fluttering around his heels. "Did you at all know that Shadows could die?"

His foot hit the tiled floor with a shrill and hollow _clop_. Link, Brent and Katrina tightened their stances and they watched as he took a couple of steps onto the rug before stopping short. The lancet window in the wall overhead caught his shadow, elongating it so that its head was scraping Link's toes.

"Like us," the ruler continued, "they need energy to sustain them. And yet, unlike us, they can't get energy the same way we do. That's why they hunt: they strive for survival, and they can only get it by sucking the life out of anything they can get their hands on."

He held out his hand, palm towards the ceiling. "With it, they thrive." He curled his outstretched limb into a fist. "And so their lifespan grows." He paused, lowering his hand and observing them with a glimmer of amusement. Then like his earlier smile, it dropped away.

"You three couldn't kill my true supporters if you wanted to," he said and he held his hand before him, then snapped his fingers.

The sharp noise barely echoed, barely made it to the Hylians' ears before the shadows darkening the room came to life, diving towards them with gangly hands outstretched and hooded faces mirroring Death.

_"Get back!"_

Brent and Katrina ducked down at Link's order and as soon as they were out of his way he spiraled on the spot, Master Sword out. Pure energy flared out of the holy blade, raging across the hall to collide with the incoming wave of Shadows.

Screaming piteously they reeled back, some of them disappearing of their own will while the rest were fully devoured by the benevolent light. The last of the dark mists blew away right in front of Malbex's face, revealing his explicit and angry surprise for what had happened. Rigidly he stared out at the now empty room, which was much brighter than it had been before, and then he looked down at Link, who swiped his glittering sword off to the side.

The horror on Malbex's face strengthened as he eyed the shimmering weapon. "That sword…"

That was _impossible_.

He had extracted the Triforce of Courage from Link's body himself. Even now that sacred relic was hovering over his throne, reunited with its other like pieces. How then could he have managed to pull that sword of its pedestal?

If only Morbex had paid more attention when he had tried to kill this group in the Mesa. Though Malbex could tell that at least half of them had been annihilated, there were still enough standing here to ruin _everything_: all his hard work, his plans, his sacrifices…

He shook his head in denial and took a shaky step back. He couldn't lose – not now, not this way.

_No…_

Not after everything he had finally claimed…!

_"No!"_ His panic took shelter behind vicious hostility and he reclaimed the ground he'd given up. "All of you – you're nothing more than thorns in my side! I'll kill you all – and that failure Morbex with you! No one can stand against me! Not while the Triforce is mine!"

"Even the Triforce knows you can't rule, Malbex," Link stated evenly. "That's why there's darkness." He lifted his sword. "Why we're here."

"No…no…" Malbex clutched the sides of his head and squeezed his eyes shut, trying vainly to block out the returning words that the Triforce had spoken to him only hours prior:

_You are lacking in purity._

"No…"

_You do not have the heart…_

_"No!"_

His heart raced, beating against his chest with the strength of a canyon-changing earthquake. His body trembled convulsively and his brain pulsed, forming a horrible throb on the side of his head. Reeling, he tried to push through the pain that it inflicted upon him but no matter what he did he couldn't ignore it, couldn't focus on any part of reality because of it.

He could only hear disembodied voices, their mindless chattering raging through his mind; and he could only see skewed images, each of them flying into his face and overlapping before he could discern their details.

Through the harrying chaos of his head he stumbled, hunting for a way out and yet unable to escape the way the noisy, colorful mayhem surrounded him, suffocated him to the point where he could barely even hear his own thoughts.

Only one picture continuously blinked before him, fading in and out of sight. Using it as his lifeline he clung to it, hoping that if he concentrated on it everything else would clear away. Thankfully that seemed to work, and all he could see now was Tentra's face as his eyes took on a deep, red tone.

And yet, the longer Malbex looked at him, the more he became aware of some distant voice shrieking with torment. Somehow it seemed to layer over everything else, buzzing in his ears until he finally managed to recognize it as his own –

_"You should prove your father wrong…"_ Tentra's words, though seemingly faint, fully reverberated over the gut-wrenching wails that spewed from Malbex's younger self. _"And I'll help you. Let no one stop you…"_

A renewed cry clawed out of Malbex's throat and black storm clouds billowed overhead, flashing and blinking with the low groan of thunder.

Link, Brent and Katrina looked up and speedily dodged out of the way when streaks of lightning hailed from the magical clouds, falling in random places to scorch the ground or destroy the pillars that decorated the perimeter. One even managed to shatter the lancet window, littering the ground with jagged shards of glass and inviting cold winds from the dark world outside.

Spinning and hopping out of the way of the crashing thunderbolts, Link, Brent and Katrina darted into the growing tempest, squinting through the whirling gales as they rushed towards the sorcerer at the storm's center.

His faced swathed in grievous hatred Malbex roared with rage again, strengthening the hurricane and forcing the group to halt in their tracks. The floor shook and bits of flying buttresses rained to the ground, falling like hail in the artificial weather.

Link raised his shield to protect himself and Katrina and Brent swatted or ducked away from the toppling stones. When the rocky sleet finally stopped they set their sights on Malbex once more.

He looked deranged, with his hair and clothes billowing wildly in the stormy winds and his face contorted into a terrible snarl. Like a feral bonfire his red eyes gleamed out of his pale face, and Link found himself sensing a horrible familiarity with his vengeful spirit.

Thunder boomed and Malbex hurled his arms into the air, then threw them down with a fierce roar. Following his vertical movement, a thick streak of black light blazed out of his hands and tore across the room, leaving a horrendous path of destruction in its wake.

Emitting a powerful war cry of his own Link swung the Master Sword in a wide, arching motion, and from the blade a horizontal surge of energy exploded, plowing forth to barrel into Malbex's spell. With the detonation of explosive light and another furious bellow from the black clouds Link's blast made it through, obliterating Malbex's opposing force and powering forward to consume him as well.

Stunned, Malbex watched it approach, his body going numb and the storm clouds beginning to dissipate. But then a loud shout sounded from afar, calling him to his senses:

_"Stop!"_

His anger returning Malbex waved a hand, blowing Link's incoming attack out of existence. The heavenly radiance disappeared as sparkles of glittering lights and when they'd completely vanished, Malbex peered across the room to see who had arrived, the wrath in his face unchanging.

"Malbex." Morbex continued along the crinkled and crooked rug, his jaw set and Kelvis, Renée, Mekial and Dijonay marching at his back. They stopped when he joined ranks with Link, Brent and Katrina. "You need to stop this! Please, you're not yourself!"

Malbex's grim appearance didn't vanish. Instead, it worsened.

"Please, Malbex," Morbex pleaded. "We want to help!"

At the concern so palpable on the young man's face something in Malbex snapped and his next words came out at a growl, "I don't need your _pity."_

"But, Malbex –!"

"No!"

Morbex hesitated worriedly.

"Don't you get it? I hate you, I _despise_ you! I've tried to have you killed days ago but you're just so adored, so _favored!_ Not even a dragon could hurt you!"

"Malbex, I –"

_"Shut up!"_ The ground lurched and all but Malbex staggered. Flames were practically spitting from his eyes now and with each insult that he bellowed, Morbex's spirits dimmed. "You're just a nuisance! Your mere existence makes me _sick! _If you were dead I'd finally be free of the past, of a life of rejection…!" As he spoke, lightning flashed in the returning clouds and the cold air became even more frigid.

Morbex's eyes crinkled with hurt and he frowned at the ground, his fists clenching. Then he lifted his chin and with eyes full of resolve, he stepped forward.

"If that's true Malbex, then you only need fight me," he proclaimed, stopping in front of everyone.

Malbex breathed heavily, but made no immediate gesture of responding.

"I'll fight you," Morbex reiterated and he held up an arm to stop Link from stepping forward. With a sideways look to accompany the movement the prince requested that he stand down, and then he returned his gaze to Malbex. "But not as your enemy."

He walked forward again, his shoes tapping hollowly against the tiled floor until he was a few feet closer. "…As your brother."

Golden light flashed in Link's vision and the next thing he knew a transparent wall was positioned between he and Morbex, stretching to reach both sides of the throne room so that there was no way around it, and rising so high that there was no way over it. In truth, it looked amazingly similar to the barrier that had surrounded he and Ganondorf during their final match in Eldin Province.

Quickly falling back into the present Link's eyes plummeted to the brothers within the ring: Morbex's back was still to him and Malbex had taken on a crazy-eyed smile.

"You would fight me alone?" he asked, intrigued, and Morbex retained his calm yet grim appearance when he answered.

"For the sake of everyone involved. This is between us, Malbex – and it always has been."

"And you think no harm will come to them when I kill you?" He looked entertained now, in a twisted way.

Morbex's lips didn't part. Instead he raised his arms before him and a purple glow encircled his hands.

Malbex smirked and he held one arm out to the side. Then he flicked it forward, pitching a blue fireball at Morbex's face.

In an instant Morbex reacted, taking control of the speeding flame and sending it spiraling back at Malbex who knocked it aside, causing it to smash into the wall behind him. Before the smoke could clear, he blasted another spell at his brother.

Thus their duel began, each of them throwing spells at one another or conjuring small shields to guard from attacks. Outside their battlefield Link and the others watched, their chests tightening with every one of Morbex's close calls or starting when a stray spell crashed into the golden wall.

As the fight ensued Malbex's aggression became more obvious, his spells more merciless and soon Morbex could do nothing but hold up a barrier, protecting himself from all of the fireballs, lightning strikes, random debris and glass shards. No satisfaction was visible on Malbex's face as he overpowered his younger brother and if any was present at all, it was well hidden behind his dark scowl.

Unaware of his frightening glare Morbex kept his head down and shield up, his eyes scrunched against the plumes of smoke growing all around him. Each of Malbex's spells rattled through his defenses to shudder through his arms, and with every impact being louder than the last, his eardrums rang to the point of deafness.

"Mekial, take the barrier down!" Link hollered.

"I-I can't!" Mekial, his hands already pressed against the barricade, raised his head, panic-stricken. "Morbex won't let me!"

Gritting his teeth, Morbex struggled to keep his arms steady. Even without looking up he knew his defenses were breaking – he could even picture the hairline cracks that were forking throughout his shield. Even so he willed himself not to give in, to reinforce the magic that was standing between himself and death.

But his limbs continued to quake, so much so that he could barely keep them up any longer.

_No…_

Things couldn't end this way. If he was defeated here, there was no telling what would happen to those that were behind him, watching beyond the safety of the wall he had made. One by one their faces flashed in his mind's eye and he urged himself to hold on, knowing full well that if he were to fail now, they would surely follow.

Pushing out every last bit of strength he had, Morbex buckled his knees to support himself, thus enhancing the once waning energy of his shield. With his teeth still visibly clenched he forced one eye open then the other, squinting through the haze of powerful spells and smoke.

Then with a forced grunt he pushed through, spreading his arms and transforming his shield into a barrier of wind that whirled around him for a second then expanded, cleansing his immediate surroundings of Malbex's attacks.

Panting, he peered through the thinning smoke in order to pinpoint Malbex's form and as he did, he heard a shift of movement to his left. Hurriedly he spun around, hands up.

But he didn't move quickly enough: before he could even face fully to the left Malbex fired a fierce gale at him, blowing him clean off his feet and into one of the crumbled pillars.

Morbex's body rattled with the shock of the impact and he grunted audibly, then slipped to the ground with his head swirling.

But his toes didn't even make it to the floor before Malbex closed in on him, curling his fingers around his neck with Shadow-like grip. Instantly Morbex gagged and he reached up to pry Malbex's fingers away – but it was no use.

"Morbex!" Dijonay banged her fists against the wall helplessly.

"Mekial, try again!" Link ordered.

"I _am_ trying!" Mekial snapped, memories of a similar predicament storming through his mind. He wanted to scream with frustration, for no matter how much magic he pushed out the golden wall simply cancelled it, shunting it back into him. It was worse than a Proclaimer. "I'm _trying!"_

Morbex choked, his feet kicking against the pillar in an effort to somehow climb to escape. But Malbex's hold wouldn't relent. Squinting through his watering eyes he peeked at Malbex, and in his face he found nothing more than heartless fury.

He gasped suddenly. "I-I'm…so sorry…Malbex…" He kicked against the pillar again, freeing his airways just a bit more. "I never…never wanted…for this t-to happen… I-I…I only wanted t-to…to help…!"

Malbex increased the strength of his grip and Morbex cut off with a hoarse choke. "I don't _need_…your _pity_," he spat.

Morbex wheezed helplessly and his eyes started to roll.

Mekial's eyes widened when the barrier began to sink out of sight, seemingly of its own accord. Barely had it lowered to the height of his torso when Link sprang over it and sprinted towards the pillar, sword up.

Once close, he ducked low and slammed the butt end of his hilt into Malbex's side, then spun around and bashed him with his shield with enough force to send him flying.

Immediately Morbex crumpled to his knees, gripping his throat with a violent outbreak of wheezes and coughs. In front of him Link flourished his sword, his eyes on Malbex, and the others came to take a stance beside him.

Growling, Malbex pushed off of the floor whilst holding his side and he turned to face the one that had assailed him. But rather than just seeing Link, he found himself looking at the entire party, all of them bearing upon him with dour faces and weapons bared. Only Dijonay could be glimpsed behind them, kneeling beside Morbex to ensure he was all right.

For a second Malbex looked hurt, but then his fury remounted as a wild sneer. "All of you…" His hand dropped from his throbbing side. "Right when I thought you were all dead, you decided to come back and destroy everything! Even you!" His eyes jumped to Kelvis, who was undaunted by the crazy look in his eyes. "You choose now to oppose me?! This world that I've created is your burden as well! If you'd never stumbled in on Eldonis, none of this would be happening! Don't think you can escape the blame!"

"I'm not planning on running from any consequences," Kelvis returned smoothly and behind him Dijonay helped Morbex to his feet. "But what about you?"

Malbex's eyes darted between them, his hardened composure visibly crumbling away. "No…no…! You can't take this away from me! I've made it this far…!"

The billowing black clouds came back, flashing with streaks of lightning that hurtled into the chamber, destroying columns and even breaking off pieces of the throne.

Ignorant of it all Malbex held the sides of his bowed head, his silver hair masking his squeezed face. "Let no one…no one…!"

The indecipherable images returned, threatening to split his skull right down the center. Voices attacked him, hissing mindlessly and a pulse shot through his brain, nailing him with the solid picture of darkened red eyes.

The next thing he knew he was listening to his boyish cries from so long ago, each of them drawing him back to the places he had first released them: the palace library, the courtyards, his own room –

Malbex's terrible roar of denial seemed to shake the very walls of the throne room and all around stones and other supportive structures rained from the ceiling. Cracks jumped through the elaborate walls and here and there, even parts of the floor began to separate.

Thunder growled and lightning flashed, striking everything in range and the winds picked up, pushing debris across the ground and hurling glass into the air.

_"I'll kill you all…!"_

With Malbex's declaration the splits in the floor widened, forcing tiles out of place, and the winds increased to near-hurricane force.

Squinting through the harrowing gusts, Morbex held up an arm and peered at Malbex, who was still clutching the sides of his head. A single flash of lightning illuminated his reddening countenance as well as the vein popping in his forehead, and with another flash, Morbex managed to perceive the water that was clinging to the edges of his eyelashes.

Morbex's brow crinkled with despair and he turned to find Link. Upon locating him, he addressed him over the storm, "I can make an opening for you!"

Link viewed him questioningly, one arm up and wind blowing his hair into his eyes.

Morbex faced away and delivered a solemn, regretful gaze to Malbex. "I can't… I can't leave him like this…"

Link stared at Morbex and then turned his eyes to Malbex. His grip on the Master Sword tightened. "…All right."

Morbex nodded to him and looked back at his brother.

And with the room crumbling all around him he waved his arms in wide, upward circles, working tirelessly to turn his own brother's winds against him. After a few flourishes some of the gales finally started to blow in a rightward direction, gradually clearing a circular path straight through the storm.

Once it had fully opened, plowing straight and uninterrupted towards Malbex, Link readied his sword and took a position at the front of it. Then, he lunged.

At the same time Morbex hit his back with a mighty airstream, firing him through the wind tunnel like a human cannonball. The Hylian's feet didn't even touch the ground and he held his blade to the side in a thrusting position, his trademark yell sounding through the hurricane.

Malbex only just looked up when Link zoomed towards him and before he could even think to react, the Master Sword's glowing blade dove through his stomach.

His eyes bulged and the room immediately stopped shaking; above, lightning flashed soundlessly and the clouds started to thin and disperse.

Tightening his eyes, Link yanked his sword out of Malbex's body and with his gaze settled on nothing he tilted just a little, permitting the Fenri to fall face-first to the ground.

Morbex darted forth and dropped beside Malbex, then turned him onto his backside so as to see his face. The others followed, though made sure to maintain a decent distance.

Malbex peered up at his brother silently and though his eyes were just barely open, Morbex still saw recognition flitter through them.

He swallowed to moisten his dry throat. "…Malbex? Do you know where you are?"

Malbex continued to stare at him and a dull ache knocked against the back of his skull. "I am…no fool…" he managed softly. "You…y-you had him…kill me…"

Indisputable sadness washed over Morbex's face and his throat closed.

"I don't care…i-if I die…" Malbex spurted. "I would have done…nothing different…"

Morbex nodded forcefully. "I know. But, Malbex…" He hesitated before going on. "Maybe you won't want to hear it from me, but… But I think that you have the makings of an incredible king. …In spite of everything, I know that you at least cared about the countrymen's safety and the stability of the empire. Something like that… It shows that you have the heart of a true ruler.

"And, Dad…" Morbex paused to compose himself at the sight of Malbex's paling face. Then at last he made himself smile, if not with difficulty. "…He would've been proud."

Malbex released a quiet, sarcastic chuckle. "If…if only…" He turned his eyes to the ceiling. "If only I…I could have…"

Something flickered through his half-lidded eyes and he stopped, his chest rising and falling shallowly. Worry rising, Morbex watched him and then his eyes fell to the man's wound, which was bleeding profusely.

"M…Morbex…?"

Malbex's voice was hardly perceptible now but Morbex heard the call anyway, and he whipped his head around to look him in the eye.

Malbex gazed at him for a moment and with his heart stopping, Morbex recognized the confusion in his dying eyes.

"Where…where am…?"

He broke off suddenly, his half-opened eyes still lingering on Morbex's face.

Morbex held perfectly still, though he couldn't keep his face from trembling ever so subtly.

"Morbex…" Link took a tentative step forward but then, thinking better of it, he stopped. "I'm sorry…"

"…I know." Morbex didn't look up at him, instead keeping his head down as he watched his brother's immobile features. Within seconds the sight of his face blurred away as water accumulated in his eyes. "I know…"

He sniffed quietly and soon became aware of a golden light falling across the ground. Looking up, he blinked through his falling tears to see the Triforce descending to them, its beautiful rays shining with warmth.

He got to his feet.

Link watched him and sensing his stare, Morbex shifted his gaze to see him.

Link simply inclined his head to the holy object. "Use it. …For your home, Morbex."

Surprise glinted across the prince's face and he looked back at the Triforce, his mouth agape.

_For home…_

That was right: he could use the Triforce and make it so that Eldonis had never been destroyed, make it so that the people and his family had never suffered for his and Malbex's mistakes.

Or he could even go so far as to undo everything: he could change the day Tentra had set foot in Palace Eldonis, or even wish for a rewritten history so that the tragic events of this timeline didn't happen.

_But if I did that…_

He removed his eyes from the Triforce to gaze upon the faces of everyone around him, those who had been his first friends in the world outside of his homeland. If he asked for the whole past to be changed, he would lose all of them.

He looked back at the beaming triangle. "Link…" He moved his eyes to the Hyrulean, and then turned to view everyone else. "All of you…" His eyes crinkled with a little smile that received an extra glow of serenity from the Triforce. "I'm grateful…for everything that you've done. And for being with me through everything that's happened. In fact, I…I don't think I can begin to thank you enough…"

Grateful tears welled in his eyes and with a crunching of his brow he forced them down. In the process, his gaze fell to Malbex.

His lips taut, Morbex knelt down next to him and closed the man's eyes, then adjusted his position so that he was lying on his back with his face to the ceiling.

Raising his view to the Triforce again, he circled around Malbex's body and stood in front of it. Slowly, he lifted a trembling hand and pressed it against the triangle's surface. It felt warm, almost alive…

He closed his eyes and after a moment of stillness, the light falling off the Triforce started to strengthen. As it grew Morbex lifted his chin, his eyes dazzling with a small, hopeful smile.

"Morbex?"

He turned his head and in the growing light, discovered that Dijonay had broken free of the group in order to get a better view of him. Her eyebrows were crinkled with concern and she wasn't the only one: the others, too, were looking on at him in a mix of puzzlement and worry, fearing for what he had wished for.

With his hand still upon the brightening relic Morbex sent them a calm, reassuring smile.

Then the light increased, enshrouding both he and the chamber in heavenly brilliance.


	34. Pact of a King

**Pact of a King**

Birds chirped excitedly overhead, their small bodies zipping to and fro against the clear blue of the early summer sky. High above them the sun beamed, showering its light upon the earth and all that sauntered through the grand Castle Town beneath it.

With the intent of basking in the summer sun people strolled about leisurely, grinning to one another in greeting as they went about their business. The plaza was the most crowded, with citizens gathering to gossip before the sparkling fountain or to loiter in the shade; on the encircling rooftops of restaurants and cafés, people joined in drinking and eating, reclining to bathe in sunlight or relaxing beneath table umbrellas to better enjoy the warm breezes.

In one of the many courtyards of Hyrule Castle Zelda took on a similar activity, sitting on one of the stone benches with her face tilted to the sky, eyes closed.

Though little more than two months had passed since sunlight had returned to the land, she couldn't get enough of it. Truly, such a blessing could never again be taken for granted.

And it was such a beautiful day in any case. No one in their right mind could coop themselves in a dark office, surrounded by paperwork while a day like this went by.

She took a deep breath, drawing in the sweet aroma of garden flowers and grass, and her hair danced in a gentle breeze.

Truth be told, she couldn't stay here for very long, for she did have work to do that day. Documents needed to be filed and Alexandria Ruheart's second hearing was coming up soon. She also had to oversee preparations for the funeral ceremony that was approaching, which was being made in service of the people who'd lost their lives to the Soldier's Rebellion.

She sighed softly and her eyes slid open.

Time had flown so quickly. It seemed like only a couple of days ago she had burst into Hyrule Castle through the Grell portal, Midna and the generals at her side. It hadn't taken them long to lay claim to the castle in Zelda's name and to top it all off, the soldiers that had committed treason were decommissioned and banished in the same day.

Due to the number of soldiers that had been evicted, the generals and Captain Regal were still in the midst of a massive recruitment for the army. General Bourke was in charge of the entire operation and even announced that he wanted to supervise the training regimen.

"_We can't afford to have anymore spineless wimps in the army,"_ he'd declared in his casual manner of speech. _"It's time Hyrule stepped it up! We're the Land of the Triforce for Din's sake, people need to know not to mess with us!"_

Zelda had agreed and approved of his suggested alterations to the soldiers' training. The stronger and more loyal they were, she figured, the better.

There was still a plethora of other matters that she needed to attend to. But in spite of it all, stress could no longer find her: betrayal no longer lurked outside her door and thanks to Link and his companions, Malbex and Tentra were deceased and Alexandria, the only inside witness to their plans, was imprisoned.

At the thought of Link and his allies, Zelda suddenly wondered what they were up to, and when she would see their faces again. Soon after the conclusive events in the Palace of Albaan they had returned to the castle, and had stayed only a short while before deciding that they needed to go home.

Dijonay had to return to her responsibilities as the Prime Minister of the Arkanian Province, and Brent and Renée had to report back to their comrades in their small community of Taranis. Naturally Mekial was to stay by Dijonay's side, and Katrina had stated she would return to her homeland for reconstruction purposes.

Midna had been the last to leave, Zelda recalled. After the reunion, she had transported the foreigners to the harbor of a neutral country so that they could set sail for home. Link had accompanied her to give them his farewells, and then she had taken him back to his village.

After that she had returned to the castle and stayed around to help Zelda with a few of her duties. Then when things had settled down, she, too, had gone home with the promise of visiting again soon. That was a little over two weeks ago.

Zelda sighed again, her breath falling against a gentle breeze and when something moved beside her, she looked up curiously.

"Your Highness." The servant, standing at the corner of the walkway that passed before Zelda's seat, bowed cordially. When he straightened up, he extended a sealed envelope. "The postman came to deliver this for you."

Voicing her gratitude Zelda took the letter from the man's hands and after bowing again, he dismissed herself.

As he departed Zelda examined the letter's front, but all that she saw was her own name and title written in light cursive. So she flipped it over, and there saw an official-looking seal shaped into a falcon.

Breaking the seal, the princess opened the envelope and slipped the letter out. Almost immediately her eyes fell to the bottom, where she picked out the name of the sender:

_Arkanian Prime Minister Dijonay Milyan Trubel_

Zelda's eyes soared to the top of the parchment and she began to read:

_Dear Princess Zelda, of Hyrule,_

_I hope you are doing well!_

_I would have written to you sooner, but I have had much to catch up on in the Estate. To this day I still feel terrible for not staying in Hyrule longer, once everything came to an end. I can only imagine how much work you had to accomplish, and how much rebuilding needed to be done. I wish I could have helped. If anything, I hope that you are able to receive all the support and resources that you need from here on._

_For the sake of Hyrule's safety, neither Mekial nor I have spoken of your country to anyone. So, as far as the noblemen and politicians are concerned, we were captured and held hostage at sea by pirates. It sounds rather ridiculous but, truthfully, it is not a complete lie._

Zelda chuckled softly and kept reading:

_Everything else, at least in Arkania, is normal. Now that my schedule has been tamed a little, I have even started to work on finding a way to abolish slavery. Perhaps I cannot eradicate it all across the empire, but there may still be a way for me to at least handle it in this province. I made a promise to Brent months ago, telling him that I would do it – and after seeing Hyrule and meeting all of those people, I feel compelled to…_

Garbed in one of her many noble gowns Dijonay walked through the side hall of the Estate, warm summer winds filtering in through the open-air windows on her left.

_It will be difficult, and sometimes I wonder if I will be successful. But, as I learned in my time throughout Hyrule…_

Rounding a corner, she stopped in front of a pair of oak doors.

_There is only one way to find out._

Gathering her bearings, she twisted the handle and stepped inside.

It was the conference room, with one large, arched window at the far end and a long, sleek table in the center. Only one other person was present: Mattatheus, her Advising Monitor. Seated with his hands clasped upon the table's surface he stared off at nothing, but when he heard her arrive he looked up.

"Prime Minister." He stood and Dijonay made her way to the head of the table. "Word has finally gotten through to the emperor of your return," he told her once she sat down. "You really have only just gotten back…are you sure you want to do this now?"

"Yes."

"But, you've just escaped captivity…"

"I have learned much in my time away from this place," Dijonay told him, reading the worry on his face. "And one of those things is that sometimes…things need to be done as soon as you are able. And right now Mattatheus," she looked determined now, "I am able."

"I didn't tell you this, only because I didn't think it would be coming up so soon," he began after a pause on his part, "but I sent a fleet of soldiers looking for you when you disappeared. When they returned without any leads, I stood in as acting prime minister."

Dijonay's brow creased and she looked at the table, guessing at what he was getting at.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this? To pull back all slave traders, and make an agreement between those…those Hover Racers?"

She didn't respond for a moment, but rather stared at the table in deep thought. Then, she returned her eyes to his face. "I am sure."

Mattatheus shook his head. "Please reconsider. I jailed several of those groups in your absence, and now you mean to let them go free?"

"Perhaps a day will come when I will be able to explain to you the reasons for my decision," Dijonay returned calmly. "But right now, I can only say that I made a promise to someone… Someone who, for the first time in my life, I was able to grow close to and learn something worthwhile from. And I mean to keep that promise."

Mattatheus viewed her questioningly, but before he could interrogate any further the door clicked open and the rest of the advising council appeared, all of them ranging from just over Mattatheus' age and up.

"Good afternoon." Standing, Dijonay held an arm out to the table with a sweet smile. "Please, sit. There is much that I wish to discuss with you."

_Things are likely to run slowly, if not roughly. But, I am willing to see it through to the end._

_Besides this, Katrina informed us on the way back to the empire that the Corva Isles are still in need of reconstruction. She said that she would take part in it, and I believe some of her friends, others who had survived the Isle Massacre, have gone to help her…_

Using her fist as a hammer, Katrina pounded the wooden post into the ground and then stood up, dusting her hands off. Smiling softly, she let her eyes pan to the side so she could reexamine the other grave markers she had put up: there was one for her father Nolan, another for her mother Ilma, one for Keagan and…

_Ellamae._

Katrina placed her hand on top of the last post and a nice, coastal wind whispered through the branches of the tree standing over her.

"Ready?"

Katrina turned and flashed a smile at the friend that had spoken. "Yeah."

Moving against another breeze she hopped off the small hill and joined he and the remainder of her Corvenian companions on the trail. Then together, they followed the path as it sloped towards a burnt village below.

As they walked a faint whirring sounded in their sharp ears, and they looked up in time to see Hover Boards zooming towards the remains of the island civilization.

_I think Brent and Renée have gone to offer their help as well._

"Whoa…" Aaron tapped the button on his board and it hummed to a stop, then gradually drifted to the ground. Those that were with him mimicked his actions, causing their vehicles to blow broad clouds of dirt into the air.

When his board landed Aaron hopped off, lifting his goggles off his face and letting them slam atop the crown of his head.

Behind him Brent's board touched the earth and he jumped off; somewhere to his right, Renée followed suit.

"Well." She slid her goggles off and took a gander at the remains of the Corvenian town. "This'll be fun."

"We've got our work cut out for us, guys!" Brent called to the large team of Taranis members he had brought with him and he took off his goggles. "Tess, Yuri! Find us some wood!" Two of the largest members flew off. "Dustin, Liz, you brought those axes, right? And Darwin! Bring the water over here!"

_I want to help as well. If things go smoothly with the slavery abolition, perhaps I can turn my attention to reconstruction efforts and offer my support._

_In the end there is a lot to do…but, one thought that keeps me happy, is the hope that maybe, when this area is stable, we can form an alliance with you and set up tourists spots for Hylians!_

Zelda actually laughed aloud at that.

_But I know that that is a long way off. Either way, I will do my best presently._

_In the meantime, how is Link doing? I wrote him a letter as well, but I sent it to Ordon… I wonder if he is still living there?_

To this Zelda's curiosity peaked slightly. She, too, wondered if Link was still taking up residence in that small village, or if he had decided to move on to somewhere else.

_I suppose now I will draw this letter to a close. Again, I hope and pray that you and your people are and remain safe._

_I look forward to seeing you in the future,_

_Arkanian Prime Minister Dijonay Milyan Trubel_

Zelda pulled the third section of the parchment down a little when a strong breeze rushed by, and she suddenly noticed a small note scrawled in the lower corner:

_Hi Princess Zelda! – Mekial_

Zelda smiled and after looking the letter over once more, suddenly realized that there was nothing in it about Morbex. Now that she thought about it, neither Link nor any of his companions had known what had happened to him after he had made his wish on the Triforce.

"_There was just a bright light," _Link had said, _"and the next thing we knew, we were looking down on Hyrule from a mountain with the sun rising. He and Kelvis weren't with us."_

Prior to that statement, Link had explained to her what had happened in the palace, and from the tale she deduced that neither Morbex nor Kelvis had ever truly been against them.

This had relieved her, for betrayal was a horrible thing. She was glad that Morbex had not willingly gone against her, Link or their foreign comrades. He was a good person, she reasoned, and just like with everyone else, she wondered if she would ever see him again, too.

She also wondered what he had wished for. Whatever it was she presumed it had to have something to do with the fact that, once daylight had returned, any and all signs of Demonics and Holes had vanished.

Whatever he had done, she knew she was just as much indebted to him as she was to Link and everyone else. She could only hope that someday in the future, she would be able to tell him that.

Tilting her head back she gazed at the cloudless sky once again, Dijonay's letter still clasped between her fingers. Then she took a deep, steady breath, her eyes falling shut.

The greenery smelled so nice, so relaxing…

And so refreshing.

Link exhaled and opened his eyes, staring through the canopy of the Faron Woods to peer at the heavens.

Epona snorted and his eyes fell to her, then he patted her muzzle. "You wouldn't mind a little trip, would you?"

She whinnied, her head swinging to view something towards the back of the clearing, and Link twisted to see what or who it was.

"Kids and I wanted to see you off," Bo said, striding through the tall grass that blocked the path to Faron Spring. The village children were tagging along behind him. "Ilia looked fine about it, when I told her you were headin' out. You talk to her 'bout where you're goin'?"

"Everything I planned," Link said proudly.

"And what's that?"

"Not much…"

Bo shook his head with a short hoot of laughter and Beth frowned. "Link!"

"Sure do love improvisin' don't ya?" Bo said, his eyes twinkling.

"Well, that's what makes things exciting," the shepherd replied honestly. "Besides, I…" He stroked Epona's face again when she knocked it into his cheek. "I've been realizing lately, that I shouldn't keep myself in the village all the time. Sure being a shepherd's nice and simple, but…"

"There's a whole world out there that you wanna see now?" Bo tried.

But Link shook his head. "It's more like…this is something I have to do. I'm not sure I can explain it well, but…"

Bo smiled encouragingly and planted a hand on his shoulder. "If I know anythin' Link, it's that you were destined for somethin' bigger than this small place since the day you were born. And I…" He sighed. "We knew that. All the parents and me, as soon as we found you out in these woods." He looked around the place, as though that could bring him back to the day he had first spotted the Hylian, nothing more than a boy then, wandering through the forest.

"I can't stop you, son." Bo squeezed his shoulder then released it, his face a mix of fatherly pride and a touch of sadness. "But, I'd kinda hoped you'd take my place someday. Can't be mayor forever, y'know?"

"Yeah!" Talo burst. "And who's gonna teach me cool new sword tricks? Colin's dad is always too busy doing _grown-up_ stuff."

Link laughed. "And I'm not?"

"You do _cool_ stuff!" Talo retorted.

"You're not going really far, are you?" Colin questioned, peering up at him with his big, blue eyes.

The corners of Link's lips pulled up with a smile. "I can't make any promises about that," he said and he squatted to look the boy in the eye. "But I'll come back and visit. And _that_, I can promise."

To this Colin's disheartened expression split into an enthusiastic smile.

Smiling back, Link rose to his full height and started towards Epona.

"Link!"

He turned back and almost as soon as he did Colin ran forward and threw his arms around him.

"Me, too!" Beth cried and she ran forth to fling her arms around his waist.

Talo blew up his cheeks and then with a frustrated growl he closed his arms around Link as well.

"…Why not. You saved the day." Malo shuffled to join them.

Link blinked, taken aback by their abrupt displays of affection. Then his shock eased and he returned their embraces.

"Good luck to you out there," Bo said when the Hylian disconnected from the youths and climbed into Epona's saddle.

"If you see Morbex, or Mekial and the others," Colin started, "tell them I said hi!"

"And tell 'em to visit!" Talo added.

With a soft nod, Link delivered a smile of understanding. Then he faced forward and tugged on the reins, leading Epona to rear up with a loud neigh of preparation.

"_Yah!"_

Her hooves slammed to the earth and she broke into a gallop, kicking through loose dirt and soil as she hurried across the clearing and into the fields beyond. In time, all that could be seen of her and her master were their dark silhouettes.

Then they were gone, swallowed by the light of the goddesses' creation as Epona's hooves pounded themselves into near silence.

Perfect silence.

_Quiet…_

Empty silence…

_So quiet…_

Weightless…

Void…

Morbex's eyes snapped open.

As if that was some kind of trigger, his drifting body came to a full stop. Then, by their own volition, his legs curled down and the rest of him gracefully followed, bending until he was in a proper standing position.

Without a sound his feet pressed against the security of land and his knees buckled to sustain him; at the same time his eyes dropped, and he found that there was actually no land at all.

In fact, he was standing in nothing more than a blank, empty space.

Straightening up, he took a moment to view the place as a whole but no matter where he directed his eyes, the blankness of this peculiar setting remained –unending, unblemished, unyielding.

His cherry orbs of sight flashed with a pondering blink and without warning, a golden light erupted in front of him.

The grunt he emitted bounced around the open area and his arms flew up in protection. After a moment the shine finally dimmed and cautiously, he peered over his limbs in order to see what had appeared.

Much to his surprise three individual lights were now floating around him, each radiating a different color: one was red, one green and the one hanging directly in front of him was blue.

Gaping, he pulled his arms away from his face to watch as the colorful lights circled his body. They tinkled softly, almost like the sound tiny fairies made, and then they ignited with another blinding flash, forcing him to turn away again.

When he chanced a peek back, three separate figures were silhouetted before him. Bewildered, he hastily dropped to one knee, his head bowed low in obeisance.

"Crown Prince Morbex," the green figure started, and though her voice rang clear, no muscles in her radiating, abstract face moved in time with her words, "you wished for the establishment of a new pact."

"May we remind you that all that has happened, and all that was lost," the crimson deity went on, "resulted from a pact."

"I understand." Morbex lifted his head to view them, and his eyes thinned to take on a squinting shape.

"Rise," the blue one ordered and Morbex did so. She then scrutinized him closely. "…State your terms."

"My goddesses," Morbex held his hand against his heart. "I swear to you, that I will work tirelessly to right the wrongs of my brother: I will give away all of the resources that I have, offer all of the aid that I have, in order to rebuild the world that he has overturned. Until the day I die…" he lowered his hand, "…I will bear the yolk of Malbex's sins upon my own shoulders, and will strive to atone for them…even if I can never succeed.

"In addition, I surrender the spell of Aliore, and all other vendarium. Remove them not only from me, but from all of the Fenri; never again will we be able to manipulate or torture one another with such dark magic."

The glowing goddesses hovered silently, drinking in his proposal, and he waited stiffly for their response.

At last Din's light fluctuated, and her vocals echoed throughout the vacant space, "And what do you desire in exchange?"

"For all of the consequences of the Pact of Ramon to be undone," he responded resolutely. "…And for the rebirth and freedom of my people."

Again the goddesses fell silent.

Then Nayru spoke up. "You would take all the blame, and all of the hate and rage of an entire continent upon yourself," she summarized, "all in the name of your peoples' freedom?"

"…Yes." Morbex's determined aura didn't fade. "For the sake of my brother, whose innocent curiosity was exploited, and lead to his death."

"Though you have made alliances in the Outside, many of the world's nations will loathe you for the lives that your brother and his accomplices stole," Farore informed him.

"They will blame you for the land's destruction, and you alone for the crumbling of their monarchies," Din reminded him next.

Morbex's jaw clenched but he speedily beat down his doubts before they could devour him. "I understand."

"…Very well." Nayru's acceptance made his heart skip a beat. "But not all will be as it was. Those who have died will not return. This includes King Sol and Queen Lemmah Zenor."

Morbex's mind went numb.

"You then, will rule as King of Eldonis," she concluded, "in addition to the conditions of your new agreement."

"Do you accept this?" Din inquired and Morbex felt as though she were studying him beneath a stern, suspicious frown. "Or do you desire to change your mind?"

For the first time in their discussion, Morbex hesitated.

King.

He was to be _king?_

Already?

_All because Dad…and Mother…_

Grief swelled within him and he swallowed roughly. Then his thoughts, speeding with worry, spiraled into his last memory of Palace Eldonis' throne room. Drawn back to that place, he recalled the very moment his father had summoned he and his brother there, then confidently selected Morbex as his successor.

That was right…

King Sol had selected _him_.

No matter how he felt about it, he couldn't back away from that. Doing so would only shame his father's name, his trust. As such, for his sake and even for Malbex's, he had to ensure that he lived up to the king's expectations.

Otherwise all that his father had done, and all that he had just wished for, would burn in a fire of vanity.

Indomitable in his appearance, Morbex stood just a bit taller. "I accept."

Through the holy light that surrounded their clouded faces, he could almost feel the deities smile at him.

"Then, Morbex Cohen Zenor…" they rose before him, their powerful radiance combining into one, magnificent glow, "allow us to bless you with the symbol of this pact…"

Warmth rippled across Morbex's left cheek as the light intensified and he closed his eyes serenely.

"_The Pact of a King."_


	35. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Wow…" Legs crossed and her foot kicking, Renée rested against the couch's support as she surveyed the castle's blue and gold waiting room. "This place brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Yeah…" Brent's eyes walked over the décor of the room as well, moving from the wide paintings on the walls to the neatly established furniture. Behind him a warm summer wind trickled through the wall window, causing the curtains to quiver.

"Three years…" Renée closed her eyes. "Has it really been three years?"

"Yep." Seated in the couch across from her, Mekial looked about the area with a reminiscent smile. "Only difference is that this time we didn't have to sneak in."

"Yeah, we were actually invited," Katrina said, her location being a chair at the end of a short table between the two.

"And it seems the soldiers are doing better," Dijonay added lightly from her position behind Renée. "I do not know if it is my imagination, but they seem to take their job just a bit more seriously than before."

"No kidding," Mekial sat up. "Wonder what those generals did to them."

"Whatever it was, it looks like it worked," Brent said, turning to look at the castle grounds, where guards were marching dutifully. He then raised his eyes to the city. "From the looks of it, Hyrule's been safe for three years. Unless we missed something."

"That's gotta be a new record," Renée laughed. "Considering this place's history."

Brent laughed along. "Probably is."

The others smiled with them and at the clicking of a door handle, they all spun around or looked up to see who was entering.

Mekial rose, expecting to see a soldier telling them that their wait was over, but when someone else walked in instead, his face split into a grin.

"Link!" Dijonay started forward, blushed, and stopped.

His eyes widened in amazement as he stepped full into the room. "Hey –! What're you all doing here?"

"Official business," Renée replied. "We all got a letter from the princess, specially sent by a royal messenger bird – probably to keep Hyrulean mail from being seen by Arkanians."

"So, the princess wrote to you, too?" Link blinked. "I got an oral message from one of the postmen. I think he's new. He said he lost mine."

"Round of applause for the postman," Renée snickered.

Joy taking his surprise, Link took a quick moment to look them all over, erasing his earlier memory of their faces to replace them with what he was seeing now.

Three years of aging had changed them only a little, but the differences were still noticeable: Dijonay's face was just a bit narrower, her mahogany hair having grown to curl around her shoulders, and a golden headpiece was wrapped around her forehead, presumptuously as a symbol of her political position.

Mekial was taller, but just as skinny as he had been before, probably due to his being a mage rather than something else, like a swordsman. His dark cloak was gone, traded for a garb that was just as formal as Dijonay's and his face, though still round and babyish, had just a hint of maturity in it.

The cold, angry look that had been so present in Katrina's eyes was completely gone, now replaced by a small smile as she looked at him. She had also cut her bangs, allowing her slim, jade eyes to be fully seen by all.

Renée's jaw had lengthened only a little and her dark hair, rather than styled into a hasty bun, fell around her arms. Similar to Katrina she was dressed for travel, with pouches belted to her thigh and fingerless gloves on her hands.

Brent had gotten a haircut, his once wild, spiky hair tamed so that the back was cut near to his scalp. His features had also changed, if only slightly, but one could still tell that beneath his aged façade, the mind of a strategist still lived.

"How long have you all been here?" Link asked, venturing further into the room. Like everyone else he had also grown: he was taller, broader, and numerous quests across the continent had steeled him and sharpened his skills in battle. But the kind hearts of countless people had successfully maintained his friendly spirit, which presently packed around him with such density that his companions felt nostalgic.

"Not too long," Renée said while looking at the others, who agreed.

"What have you been doing?" Dijonay went on innocently.

"Traveling."

"Like in the letter?" Mekial burst, remembering the reply letter Dijonay had shown him. "Did you really fight a valley troll?"

"Yep."

"And the bulbin army?"

"Uh-huh."

"What about the shrine spirit?"

"Shrine spirit?" Katrina echoed quizzically.

"When he wrote back to us he said he was on his way to some shrine," Mekial informed her. "He said the villagers in the town he was staying at were having trouble with it."

"He also said that he had gone to visit the remains of the Great Deku Tree, in order to pay his respects," Dijonay continued pleasantly. "And there…" Stopping, she looked at him, as though desirous of him to share the good news himself.

He smiled in acknowledgement. "There's a new tree growing," he told them, and he watched as each of their faces brightened with hope. "It's not much yet, just a little plant. But, the Koroks and the other forest children are working hard to make sure it grows well."

"That's great!" Renée exclaimed. "They must've been so excited to see the plant there."

Link's smile was unfaltering.

"So then, for three years…" Katrina, also having been encouraged by Link's news, looked back at him, "you've been going around helping people?"

"I've gone back home every now and then," he admitted. "But, for the most part…"

"Huh." She faced forward again. "That's…commendable."

"It's just been something that I've found myself doing a lot lately," he confessed.

"How do you mean?" Dijonay tilted her head to the side in question.

"Well, first it was the Twilight Incident, then New Eldonis," Link replied, flipping a finger into the air with each listing. "Somehow, I just got the feeling that protecting people, especially my homeland… I was put here to do it, no matter how I feel about it. Things aren't horrible now but there are still little things. And even though I don't have the Triforce to mark me as a "descendent of heroes" anymore, I can at least do something to help."

"Where is the Triforce, anyway?" Renée asked suddenly.

"I actually saw it when I put the Master Sword back," Link told her and Brent's eyes widened in interest.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah. It wasn't out in the open but…it was definitely there. I could feel it."

Dijonay lowered her eyes solemnly, her brow crinkling.

"Dijonay?"

She looked up and saw that it was Katrina who had called her. Turning her eyes to the side, she found that everyone else was viewing her as well.

"The Triforce is meant to stay with the one who made a wish upon it, is it not?" she said after a moment. "Then, does that mean…Morbex did not want it?"

They all exchanged sad looks.

"I wonder how he has been doing," Dijonay lowered her eyes. "It has been three years and yet, none of us have seen or heard from him at all…"

"…I'm sure we'll see him again at some point," Renée tried, watching the girl's visage dissolve with concern. "Right?" She looked to everyone else for support.

"Yeah." Brent nodded. "Three years isn't that long – he might be busy with getting his homeland back into shape or somethin'."

Link's mind jumped, triggered by Brent's words. "That reminds me. How have things been going in Arkania, anyway?"

"Well enough," Brent said after meeting Renée's eyes. "Dijonay's been doing a lot to support the Hylians."

"Granted, her advisors try to tear her apart for it," Renée continued, "but she's made it so that at least the Hylian Rights Groups in our province are recognized as official, Hylian communities." Her expression brightened a bit. "They're under protection by law, too: no slave trader can get inside, and no Hylians can be stolen out. They're practically sanctuaries."

"In exchange, we can't go on raids anymore," Brent added. "But to stay active, I and the other resistance – err, I mean" – he glanced at Dijonay – "the other Hylian Rights Groups' leaders have decided to have everyone work on supporting Dijonay's role in slavery abolition. That's why we're all here – Dijonay secretly arranged to meet with the princess in order to discuss possible relations between the empire and Hyrule after this whole slavery thing's died down."

"There is still a very long way to go," Dijonay continued, "but, when it is all done, I believe it will have been worth it."

"So that's the official business," Link presumed. "The princess probably invited me just so I could see you all again."

Dijonay nodded with a soft smile.

"Oh, and the Corva Isles are almost done, too," Mekial remembered, looking to Katrina. "Right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Nearly all of the villages are reestablished. My friends and I are working to make it a safe haven for Hylians, like the groups Brent and Renée are in. We have the room for plenty of people after all, and it's independent of the empire."

"So things have been going pretty well," Link decided, his spirits rising. "Sounds like you've all been hard at work."

"Likewise, Mr. Hero," Katrina quipped, smirking. She then twisted in the cushioned seat in order to view the door, where the sound of clanking metal feet could be heard. A moment later, two guards were standing in the doorway.

"Visitors of Her Majesty." They stepped apart to flank both sides of the room's entrance. "Princess Zelda will see you now."

"Well… Guess that means it's time to go." Renée pushed out of her seat, as did Mekial and Katrina, and they circled around the furniture in order to reach the door. Brent, Link and Dijonay did the same.

Just before he stepped out, Link glanced out of the window beside him where, through the translucent curtains, his corner vision had caught something dark soar through the sky.

But there was nothing there now and so he readily dismissed it, and joined with everyone else in the corridor. When he was fully out of the room one of the soldiers closed the door behind him, and then moved to take the lead and guide them to the audience hall.

Beautiful sunlight shone into the high-vaulted corridor as they went, gleaming through the glass windows to lay tiles of light across the walls. Then, and yet unbeknownst to the party a shadow zipped across one of them, darkening the panes if not only for the shortest of seconds.

Flapping its wide, black wings, the distant creature that had conjured the shadow zoomed past the sun, its scaly, two-lidded eyes hunting for some shade to lounge in so that it could rest its tired body.

For, far beneath its gliding form it knew its master was walking, slipping through the crowds of the large, stone city below. If it didn't find a spot soon, there was a chance it would be summoned by him, and thus would have to drag itself back over land and sea to reach home.

But in all truth, the beast's master was in no rush.

Calmly, he strode through the bustling square of the capital city, his elegant, white and blue robes fluttering gently in his wake. When he came to the ramp that led to the gates of Hyrule Castle he stopped and a steady wind whispered by, toying with his silver hair and bending his collar to reveal his left cheek. There, a small, cerulean pattern of interlocking marks could be seen, symbolizing the covenant he had made and devotedly kept for the past three years.

Clasping Princess Zelda's letter in one hand he smiled gently, his warm, cherry eyes sparkling.

Then he picked up his feet and walked forward.

**...The End**


	36. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

And that friends, marks the end of Covenant/Rebirth.

After 5 years of writing, this story is finally complete! And I'm proud to say that I've achieved the improvement that I wanted - of course, there's always room for more but hey, I've gotten better!

Now, I'd like to thank all of the readers who've favorited this story, or added it to their Alert list, or even took the time to write reviews! So, thanks guys! You know who you are! :D

On a side note, my fanfiction gained the attention of what's known as the "Dashcon Fanfiction Auction". Check 'em out on tumblr, they're legit, lol. They liked my writing/story so much that they asked for me to "contribute to their cause". I declined for reasons I'll explain shortly but I told them I'd make a mention of them here in case someone else is interested:

What Daschon does is they "auction" your fanfiction to whoever for $1 for every 100 words (not entirely clear on that but that's the first step). That buyer then goes to you and tells you that they want you to write a fanfiction for _ with [x] amount of words. You write that fanfiction, give it to them, and Daschon gets the proceeds so they can continue doing their thing.

So it's pretty much like writing fanfiction for someone else for free. You're not completely jipped though - Dashcon posts your work on their blogs so that other people can come and check you out. Since they have a wide number of subscribes and other blogsites that they're associated with, you essentially get a lot of publicity.

But, I didn't want to do it because I don't want to write for free (even though I kind of am at the moment, haha) and because I plan on moving out of the world of fanfiction.

And this is the part where everyone who's added me, as an author, to their watch list goes: "AWWWWWWWWW."

Haha, but it's true! Covenant/Rebirth was meant to be my practice novel where I'd work on little writing techniques and then move on to write originals, some of which I've already written (short stories) and some that are in the works (novels to be published :D ).

So, that's that. Now, we move on to what I promised earlier: Covenant/Rebirth fun-facts! (Originally I was gonna do a little 'Cast Interview' kind of thing where I'd have Link, Morbex and all of them talk about the fun facts...but, I figure I'll just do it myself. Tryin' to get other stuff done, y'know? xD)

* * *

**Fun Facts!**

**Fun Fact #1**

_Covenant/Rebirth was originally titled Resurrection. This was because in the original draft of the story, Ganondorf was supposed to be resurrected._

I ix-nayed that idea though, because I noticed that that was something that a lot of other fanfics for Twilight Princess were doing (I didn't read them, but I looked at their descriptions and was able to infer that). This was also part of my practice: write something that hasn't been done before. So I decided to stick with Malbex as the main bad guy. I think the story came out a heckuva lot better with that :D

**Fun Fact #2**

_Covenant/Rebirth, or Resurrection at the time, was originally going to be divided into Parts._

As in "part one" and "part two" and "part three" instead of chapters. I dunno, I thought it woulda been different. But then I decided to ix-nay that, too.

**Fun Fact #3**

_In the original draft, Renée, Mekial, Brent, Dijonay and Katrina were going to be typical high schoolers (or a middle schooler in Mekial's case) who would journey to the game world via some kind of portal._

I tossed that idea because it reminded me of an older fanfiction that I'd written when I was younger. Plus, it was kind of childish.

**Fun Fact #4**

_I illustrate my own stories. So, the designs for the Arkanian half of the group went through several changes. Even Morbex!_

It's true! Originally, Katrina was supposed to have some ridiculously long piece of hair hanging between her eyes. It was going to be a symbol of mourning for Corvenians, but, I thought it looked kinda off so I decided to cut it off and just stick with her ridiculously long bangs.

Brent was gonna have short, dark hair. But then I got inspired to give him his spiky do after seeing some random picture of this nameless anime character.

Dijonay was going to have wings. Yes. I don't know if she was going to be an angel or whatever but they were there.

I chopped them off.

They were dumb and pointless, lol.

Renée went through a couple of changes: first, she was going to be a shady rouge. I couldn't even begin to think of a backstory for that. Her next possible design came when I made the idea of the Eye of Ptolemn: in the beginning, I was going to make it so that when she put the stone into her sword, it would cause her sword to make explosions when she hit monsters or whatever. With that, I decided to give her armor, complete with a headpiece, breastplate and shoulder guards.

But I tossed that idea too. It just wasn't working for me.

And Morbex. Ahh, Morbex. I based his transformation on what happened between Zant and Midna. He went through several changes: first, he was going to be impish, like Midna (visually speaking) and he could fly around. He also had his hair styled into a cowlick.

But I tossed that. Even though Morbex's people and Midna's people were related, I wanted to switch it up a bit.

So, he came out looking like a human-sized child with an altered appearance (his blue skin and silvery/gray hair). I changed his cowlick into just long hair with a little tie near the bottom.

Then one day when I was sketching him, I randomly gave him a haircut and was like "Ooh. THAT is nice." So I stuck with it: to describe it to you, he still had bangs that covered one eye, but he also had long pieces of hair that hung over his shoulders. In the back, his hair had been cut so short that it looked kinda spiked.

Feel free to look at my DeviantArt account (same username: Tanoshiix3) and look at it. But, I wouldn't recommend it - my art has changed IMMENSELY, just like my writing, lol. And I don't upload very much anymore ._.

**Fun Fact #5**

_The names of Brent, Renée, Dijonay, Mekial and Katrina didn't just pop into my head. Morbex's and Malbex's didn't either_.

In actuality, each of the Arkanians are based on real people. Depending on who they're based on determined the first letter of their names. Brent and Dijonay are based on two of my closest cousins (the older one's name begins with a B and the younger one's with a D). Mekial is based off of my younger brother (who's name begins with an M) and Renée was actually based on me, ever so loosely (but I used my nickname, which starts with an R, instead of my real name, which starts with an M like my bro). Haha, it feels weird to say/write that...but it's true. Katrina's based on a friend that I've had since elementary school (and you can guess what her name starts with).

Funny thing is, even though all of those guys have real-life inspirations, none of them are like any of those people at all. I mean, there are little things but in the end, Brent, Ren, Mekial, Dijonay and Katrina are their own people.

Morbex and Malbex were completely original designs. But they're names were both derived from the name _Makubex_, who was one of the main characters of the anime known as _GetBackers!_. I was in love with that show when I started writing this, haha.

The ending was short, though _ And I don't feel like looking for the manga.

**Fun Fact #6**

_The relative that Brent is based on is actually the one who inspired most of the history of Arkania, as well as the Hover Boards._

Yep-yep. My cousin rides a ripstick, which serves as the basic design for the Hover Board. I've yet to draw a diagram of that flying thing, but I've got some sketches lying around.

Next, my cousin, like many, dealt with bullying when he was younger, but now he's A-OK and successful in a lot of things. From that, I came up with the random idea of Hylians being enslaved and treated poorly in the Arkanian Empire.

He's so proud that he inspired that much of the story, haha. But hey, good stories are inspired by real life things, right?

**Fun Fact #7**

_The fact that Brent fights with a Bo staff was an idea from my cousin._

My cousin likes the Soul Calibur series and likes to play as Kilik. Originally, Brent was supposed to fight with a giant hammer (haha!) but when I told that to my cousin he was like "Hm...could I use a Bo staff instead?"

And so we have Brent, leader of Taranis, who fights with a Bo staff like a bawss.

My cousin actually also decided on Brent's name now that I think about it. Originally, Brent was supposed to be Bryant O:

I also like playing Soul Calibur and my favorite character is Talim. I always thought her attacks were cool and so were her weapons. I liked them so much that they were the inspiration for Aaron's weapons. (Aaron, if you don't remember, was the first member of Taranis that Link met all the way back in Covenant).

**Fun Fact #8**

_When I was first writing Resurrection, I was going to do an illustration for every chapter._

That was because I was posting the story on DeviantArt before I started uploading it here. In the end I didn't like that idea because I was just unsatisfied with my art style at the time. So, I decided to practice more and just do cover images and upload those.

In the end it didn't matter and I took the story off of DeviantArt (it wasn't getting a lot of attention) and just posted it here. I was kind of disappointed that I couldn't show the covers I had designed but then was like "Hey! You can upload covers now!"

And I was like "SWEET!"

So, yeah. That being said, the covers you've seen on Covenant and Rebirth are completely owned by me :D

I think that's it for Fun Facts :]

* * *

**Future Plans**

Now that Covenant/Rebirth is complete, I'll be moving on to completely original works. I've already finished some (short stories) and am now in the process of working on my next novels.

The first one is still in the rough stages but, for sure, will be titled GEM. I also plan on doing my own illustrations for that, too, so if you're ever in a bookstore some years from now and you see a book called GEM or G.E.M. (I dunno if it's gonna be an acronym or not) feel free to check it out! I could use your continued support.

At the same time I'll be working on a shorter novel titled Wanted (working title), which is "Brent's Solo Career", as a good friend of mine calls it, haha.

In the beginning of Covenant/Rebirth I was seriously unhappy with Brent's personality. I would like, cringe when I reread the part he was first introduced. As one of my cousins said: "Oh man, he was so meannnnn" lol. But he was. He got better after though, haha.

So because I didn't like his character, I started writing Wanted, which told the story of how he wound up in Taranis and allowed me to redesign his character.

At first it was just gonna be a side thing, but then I decided to actually write it out as an original work. It, too, will be published.

Since it's an original though, there won't be any references to Covenant/Rebirth - i.e. there won't be Hylians (they're called Avats instead) and there won't be a Hyrule or a Kokiri Gulf or anything like that. But some characters will be returning!

I won't say who (I already know teehee) so the only way to find out would be to pick it up if you see it in stores! :D

Both stories are still in the works though, so they won't be published for a while. But when they're about to come out, I'll be sure to come back here and say something, just so you guys can know :]

* * *

**Farewells**

So, guys, I really am happy with how this novel/epic came out, and I'm really happy that you guys stuck around to the end and took the time to comment and stuff. But now, it is time to say goodbye; farewell; see ya laters~!

I'll be coming back to this account just to refresh it every so often (like, reupload the last couple chapters or something) just so the stories can be bumped up to the front page search. So if you're checking your email one day and see "New Chapter of Covenant" or "New Chapter of Rebirth" you can ignore it. The chapters aren't new - they'll just be reuploaded.

Of course, you can go back and reread it x]

Anyway...

Looks like this is the end of my training. I'm nervous to actually be going out and getting myself published but, better to do it afraid than to not do it at all, right?

Again, much love and thanks so much for all you guys' support. Honestly - and I don't know how many times I've said it - but you guys' comments really did encourage me to keep going. Now, it's time for me to take a giant leap and show the world what I'm made of!

So... (ack, don't cry, Tano...!)

Bye-bye, guys! *wave wave* Be seein' ya! Laters!

~ Tano

P.S. C-Crud, I'm about to cry...


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